braggadocio
noun
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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.
Synonyms
Examples of braggadocio in a Sentence
Michael Saponara, Billboard, 15 Apr. 2024
Trump is exceptionally adept too at braggadocio, e.g., about his unrivaled business acumen.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
Image Those who know Mr. DeSantis describe him as intensely private, averse to personal braggadocio and more comfortable with policy than with people.
—Nicholas Nehamas, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2024
But his braggadocio is still easy to find on the internet.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024
Those who know Mr. DeSantis describe him as intensely private, averse to personal braggadocio and more comfortable with policy than with people.
—Nicholas Nehamas, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2024
The scenes that include Mohamed, brilliantly embodied in all his braggadocio and humiliation by Salim Daw, and Dodi, his doe-eyed, dopey son, are among the season’s most riveting.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 15 Nov. 2023
Cruz spins these operations into digital content ranging from tips for aspiring investors to plain old-fashioned yacht-flaunting braggadocio.
—Michael Friedrich, New York Times, 18 Oct. 2023
The text reads as braggadocio, the words of an artist dismissing a modern master as a bygone.
—Kriston Capps, Washington Post, 16 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'braggadocio.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near braggadocio
Cite this Entry
“Braggadocio.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/braggadocio. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
braggadocio
noun
from Braggadochio, a boasting character in literature
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