Positive word
Positive synonyms for pride
3 meanings here, and which alternative fits which situation.
14 alternatives 3 meanings 10 have their own page Updated
Before you choose
Pride in work looks at the work and the people who helped with it. Arrogance looks down on other people. If the sentence ranks someone above others, no word on this page fits; describe the behavior honestly instead.
Pride as self-respect is not a refusal of help. When pride keeps someone from accepting support they need, call it stubbornness or reluctance rather than dignity.
Being proud of a child, a student, or a team is pride by association. Keep the credit with the people who did the work.
Pride in an achievement 6
Satisfaction in something done well, either by oneself or by someone close.
When you're pleased with work you did or with the success of someone close to you
Opposite shame, dissatisfaction, regret
-
everyday
Fits when the feeling is quiet contentment with a job done well
Not when the pride is in another person's success, where satisfaction can sound cool or self-focused
-
everyday
sense of accomplishment
Fits when finishing something difficult is the source of the feeling
Not when the pride is in a child, a team, or an identity rather than a completed task
-
warm
Fits when someone openly enjoys the success of a person they care about
Not when the feeling is a sober, earned judgment of one's own work, which delight makes sound lighter
-
warm
fulfillment
Fits when work or care over a long stretch has given a deep sense of purpose
Not when you mean one result or win; fulfillment describes a calling or a life, not a single moment
-
professional
Fits when someone treats the quality of their work as their own responsibility
Not when you mean the feeling itself, or the result was shared and claiming ownership would take credit from others
-
formal
Fits when a formal sentence records pleasure at a result or at being recognized
Not when the tone should be warm, or the word could suggest self-indulgence, as in instant gratification
Self-respect 4
A sound sense of one's own worth and of the standards one keeps.
When you mean a sound sense of your own worth, not a feeling of being better than others
Opposite self-contempt, indignity, humiliation
-
everyday
Fits when someone holds to their standards or refuses to accept poor treatment
Not when you mean pleasure in a particular achievement rather than a baseline sense of worth
-
warm
Fits when the point is a person's settled belief that they matter
Not when the sentence ranks them above other people; feeling superior is arrogance, not self-worth
-
formal
Fits when a person keeps their worth and composure through hardship or unfair treatment
Not when pride is making someone refuse help they need; that is stubbornness, not dignity
-
literary
Fits when keeping one's word and principles is the heart of the pride
Not when the real issue is saving face or getting even, or a casual setting makes the word sound grand
A source of pride 4
A person or thing that someone is especially proud of.
When you're naming the person or thing someone is proudest of
Opposite disgrace, embarrassment, blot
-
playful
pride and joy
Fits when a person, pet, or possession is the thing someone treasures most
Not when the writing is formal or the subject is a professional achievement that deserves a plainer name
-
warm
Fits when a person or thing is cherished for what it means to someone
Not when praising a colleague at work, where calling an adult a treasure can sound patronizing
-
formal
crowning achievement
Fits when one accomplishment clearly stands as the high point of a career or project
Not when the work is recent, is one of several equal successes, or the career is far from over
-
literary
Fits when one place or item is the finest in a collection, town, or region
Not when the subject is a person, or the claim that it is the finest cannot be supported
Choose words for a task
Describe someone
Positive words to describe someone, grouped by what you've seen them do, each with an example and when it fits.
24 words
Encourage someone
92 ready-to-send encouraging messages for a friend, a colleague, a learner or yourself, by moment and occasion, plus 136 encouraging words with meanings.
136 words
Name a positive feeling
Positive emotion words, positive feeling words, and positive mood words grouped by family and intensity, with definitions, examples, and nearby meanings.
100 words
Write a resume line
Strong resume verbs grouped by the kind of work, each with a fill-in bullet you can adapt, and a worksheet that turns weak lines into strong ones.
150 words