boastful

adjective

boast·​ful ˈbōst-fəl How to pronounce boastful (audio)
: given to or marked by boasting : expressing excessive self-pride
a vain, boastful man
A few of the … parents are downright boastful about their sons.Jane Gross
… journalists who are only too willing to take at face value the boastful pronouncements of the company's publicity department.Jeffrey Young
At the highest levels, the administration's response to the crisis has been sluggish, characterized by boastful rhetoric but stagnant funding.The Washington Post
boastfully adverb
If her new acquaintance wants to talk about plants, she might mention a few of her own, never boastfully, but with a pleasant tone of surprise, as if her parlor palm and the other person's had coincidentally attended the same high school. David Sedaris
Of the confidence reposed in him by Hudig—the master—he was boastfully and obtrusively proud. Joseph Conrad
boastfulness noun
Villars' military and diplomatic career under two kings of France was enormously successful, but his boastfulness and cupidity were notorious. David Wykes

Examples of boastful in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web To self-promote without seeming boastful, write articles, share industry insights on social media, and speak at conferences to demonstrate your expertise and point of view, and position yourself as a thought leader. 5. William Arruda, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024 Berlin Alexanderplatz presented Hofmann with a particular challenge because of its rich seam of local dialect and the boastful, big-city idiom known as Berliner Schnauze, as well as constant wordplay. David Blackbourn, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2019 Confidently sharing achievements should not be seen as boastful but rather as asserting competence and leadership. Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2024 His bombastic style and boastful rhetoric are something people either love or hate. Kaely Monahan, The Arizona Republic, 17 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for boastful 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'boastful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of boastful was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near boastful

Cite this Entry

“Boastful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boastful. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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