smug [M16th] No one likes a smug person, but in the mid 16th century they were popular. The word comes from German smuk ‘pretty’ and originally meant ‘neat or spruce’ when describing men. Not much later it was being applied to women and girls too. Another early meaning was ‘smooth’, hence Shakespeare’s reference to ‘the smug and silver Trent’. Exactly when smug began to suggest complacency is difficult to pinpoint.