Phrase guide

smell one's own farts

verb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

verb

Meaning 1

To become conceited; to believe that one's achievements are greater than they really are.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • These ivory-tower bureaucrats have been sitting in an echo chamber for months now, smelling their own farts, not realizing these ham-fisted policies really aren't working.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Named after the fact that one is liable to become acclimatized to, or even come to like, the smell of one's own farts, whilst still recognizing others' as foul. The acclimatization is likened to becoming out-of-touch with the reality of one's mediocrity.