braggadocio

noun

brag·ga·do·cio ˌbra-gə-ˈdō-sē-ˌō

-shē-,

-chē-,

-(ˌ)shō,

-(ˌ)chō

plural braggadocios

Synonyms of braggadocio next

: empty boasting

: arrogant pretension : cockiness

the air of swaggering braggadocio that all important men are expected to show in fighting—

C. W. M. Hart

: braggart

Did you know?

Though Braggadocio is not as well-known as other fictional characters like Pollyanna, the Grinch, or Scrooge, in lexicography he holds a special place next to them as one of the many characters whose name has become an established word in English. The English poet Edmund Spenser originally created Braggadocio as a personification of boasting in his epic poem The Faerie Queene. As early as 1594, about four years after the poem was published, English speakers began using the name as a general term for any blustering blowhard. The now more common use of braggadocio, referring to the talk or behavior of such windy cockalorums, developed in the early 18th century.

Examples of braggadocio in a Sentence

a loudmouthed braggart who hid his cowardice with braggadocio his braggadocio hid the fact that he felt personally inadequate

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Social media is Trump’s territory, and its norms—insults without consequence, braggadocio, and flame wars—line up neatly with his way of doing politics. —

Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2025 The braggadocio, the charisma and the grit underneath it all is what the city remembered of Henderson, who died at 65, days shy of his birthday on Christmas. —

Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 21 Dec. 2024 After all, marketing itself is somewhat narcissistic, with its continual cries for attention and thinly veiled braggadocio. —

Martin Kihn, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025 Since then, the rise of social media has been marked, among other dreadful things, by lifestyle braggadocio and algorithms fine-tuned to serve scarily relevant ads. —

Ron Lieber, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for braggadocio