From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishself-importantˌself-imˈportant adjective PROUDbehaving in a way that shows you think you are more important than other people – used to show disapproval a self-important pompous little man —self-importance noun [uncountable] —self-importantly adverb
Examples from the Corpus
self-important• The other was older, tall as Trollope and had a surly self-important air about her.• The chief inspector suddenly understood that the historian's self-important but indomitable spirit was housed in a broken body.• As a waiter, he had grown to despise self-important customers.• He was a choleric, self-important little man.• He was one of those self-important little officials who made everyone call him "Sir".• For some self-important reason, he felt it necessary to examine my action.• Seeing beyond overt status People become self-important to counteract and to attack the fear that they are insignificant.• Without the royal family, titles would be just that - forms of address for the self-important to dignify themselves.• More self-indulgent self-important twaddle, the product of a rock star who really did believe his own press, his own myth.• The history of the world becomes brutally self-important without love. 