Crossword Genius

Ruthless ego, if terribly smug (4-9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

self-righteous

'smug' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'ruthless ego if terribly' is the wordplay.
'terribly' indicates anagramming the letters.
'ruthless'+'ego'+'if'='ruthlessegoif'
'ruthlessegoif' with letters rearranged gives 'SELF-RIGHTEOUS'.

(Other definitions for self-righteous that I've seen before include "Convinced that one is morally superior" , "Smugly moralistic" , "Smug; figures he lost (anag.)" , "Unready English monarch" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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