boastful

adjective

Definition of boastfulnext
as in conceited

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of boastful Defense witnesses pointed to boastful teens, fireworks-like flashes and uncertain ignition points, with an expert arguing that fireworks were the likely cause and that prosecutors lack proof that a lighter sparked the blaze. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026 Despite Netanyahu’s boastful statement, a series of nationwide polls last week found that most Israelis do not believe the US and Israel won the war against Iran. — Dalia Abdelwahab, CNN Money, 11 Apr. 2026 Composers Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss employ the styles of contemporary pop divas like Britney Spears and Lizzo for the boastful, cutting songs. — Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 16 Jan. 2026 Laemmle, footing the bill for these sumptuous methods, saw an opportunity to position Universal as a spare-no-expense enterprise, with a billboard in Times Square keeping boastful track of the ever-mounting budget. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for boastful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boastful
  1. conceited
  2. cocky
  3. braggart
  4. bombastic
  5. arrogant
  6. vainglorious
  7. swaggering
  8. prideful
Adjective
  • Avoid Burying Praise in Negatives To avoid making children too conceited, parents might bury praise in the midst of negatives.
    — Wayne Parker, Parents, 8 Mar. 2026
  • The Pitt definitely feels like the type of workplace where conceited doctors-in-training are pretty much guaranteed to quickly get knocked down a peg.
    — Megan McCluskey, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
Definition of conceited
Adjective
  • Lanky with striking red hair and a cocky demeanor, Clapper was dogged and respected by his fellow cops.
    — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026
  • Thanks to one impossibly cocky fighter pilot named Maverick, Reagan-era America never felt better about itself — or its military might.
    — Kevin P. Sullivan, Entertainment Weekly, 26 June 2026
Definition of cocky
Adjective
  • Big Red might be a braggart, a bully and rotten to the core, but Lasdun invokes Thomas De Quincey’s neat point about how a man’s capacity to rob says nothing about his propensity to murder.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026
  • Of the many incarnations of the narcissist, there is the braggart, and there is also the neurotic.
    — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025
Definition of braggart
Adjective
  • Clive was big, and bombastic, and brave, and full of ideas, and just believed, believed, believed, believed.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 29 June 2026
  • There’s a strange irony—though, perhaps, little surprise—that this is how the bombastic Tory politico is now spending his time.
    — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 25 June 2026
Definition of bombastic
Adjective
  • West Germany, arrogant attitude adjusted, pounded Chile, 4-1.
    — David j. Neal, Miami Herald, 24 June 2026
  • Lasso, in his initial introduction to audiences, wasn’t the warm, pun-loving, inspirational coach audiences would eventually embrace through Apple +, but a slightly arrogant buffoon parodying the average American sports fan.
    — Charles Moss, New York Times, 24 June 2026
Definition of arrogant
Adjective
  • Claire’s elective death therefore remains a problematic choice for some viewers, an act of vainglorious selfishness from a woman who was never terribly nice to begin with.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2026
  • Melodramatic and vainglorious, moody and capricious, a fidgety, neurotic hypochondriac, Stalin was a bundle of appalling contradictions.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Feb. 2026
Definition of vainglorious
Adjective
  • Much of Daemon’s confidence came from his brief, swaggering meeting with Ormund Hightower.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
  • The clip of Cawley speaking about Marsch was used to highlight what some believe is the downside of Marsch’s swaggering attitude.
    — Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 24 June 2026
Definition of swaggering
Adjective
  • Other Saturday highlights included an indie throwback set from Passion Pit, a prideful performance from Rainbow Kitten Surprise, powerful vocals from Teddy Swims in the rain and dance music energy from Rüfüs Du Sol.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 June 2026
  • Beginning with the pilot, there’s also been an appealing restlessness to Kate, a loose physicality and prideful disregard for glamour.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
Definition of prideful

Browse Nearby Words

boasters
boastful
boastfulness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Boastful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boastful. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on boastful

Nglish: Translation of boastful for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All