SWAGGERING Synonyms: 176 Similar and Opposite Words

swaggering 1 of 2

adjective

as in cocky

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swaggering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of swagger

as in boasting

to praise or express pride in one's own possessions, qualities, or accomplishments often to excess I, too, would swagger if I'd won first place in the bowling tournament

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in strutting

to walk with exaggerated arm and leg movements hoping to impress the women at the bar, the young man confidently swaggered across the room

Synonyms & Similar 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 swaggering

Adjective

Their shows had always been wild—the music’s raw noise and Love’s swaggering stage presence inspired catharsis. — Quinn Moreland, Pitchfork, 14 June 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 Much of Daemon’s confidence came from his brief, swaggering meeting with Ormund Hightower. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026 Michael Imperioli's swaggering, erratic Christopher was one of the show's most iconic characters. — Sophie Dodd, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026 With venom and shrewd determination, Nicholson paints his character as a swaggering monster who milks every syllable of his dialogue with vitriolic relish. — Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026 New Yorkers will recall the assholic behavior of the Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, a swaggering builder of ships, who always seemed to delight in humiliating his managers and players. — David Remnick, New Yorker, 11 June 2026 The group went on to earn national and international acclaim before its swaggering leader, Country Dick Montana, died on stage midway through a 1995 show in Whistler, Canada. — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 June 2026 Lander, who became beloved by DSA members after helping Mamdani beat Cuomo, worked with the mayor’s ad team for a campaign that effectively turned them into a comedy duo — a dorky Jewish dad and a swaggering Muslim mayor, both critical of the Israeli government. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 23 June 2026

Verb

Die a hero, or live long enough to become Gen Z’s swaggering grandfather. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 28 Dec. 2025 Two swaggering outlaws roll into a mining town and unleash a wave of cruelty. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026 Don the swaggering employee needs to learn a lesson about gender identity. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026 This skinny kid from Norman, Oklahoma, swaggering up and down the court. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 9 Jan. 2026 The advertisement opened with a backside shot of a man clothed in Levi’s jeans, a western shirt and leather gloves, swaggering up to a pair of saloon doors. — Jack Armstrong, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026 After all those swaggering herbal notes faded, tasters said Roku finished with breezy floral qualities—lavender and rose. — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 May 2026 The timing of such self-reflection was notable, on the direct horizon of an AFC divisional-round matchup against a Bills team that’ll require calls-to-the-wall swaggering from Payton. — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2026 And Jordan's performances as Smoke and Stack are indeed confident and distinctive, not just in their different sartorial choices but in their mannerisms, with the actor excelling at portraying both Smoke's stoic practicality and Stack's swaggering charm. — Ken Simmons, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for swaggering

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

Verb

Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra Android Smartwatch The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra dives in deep with you, with a rugged titanium body boasting 10ATM water resistance, ready for open-water ocean swimming.

— Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 2 July 2026
Kane feels like a must-have at this stage in the competition, with Haaland unlikely to disrupt that, with Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi also boasting six goals in the tournament at the time of writing.

— Holly Shand, New York Times, 2 July 2026

Definition of boasting

Verb

Beyond their cool-girl air, the shoes offer plenty of support and cushioning thanks to their plush insoles that keep your arches comfortable for hours of strutting.

— Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 7 July 2026
Sweltering 94 degree heat encased San Jose on June 11, but that didn’t stop dozens of middle-age and bearded men from confidently strutting around Santana Row in heels.

— Shivika Verma, Mercury News, 6 July 2026

Definition of strutting

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

Verb

The old corporate flex of bragging about 80-hour workweeks, where busyness is the proxy for importance, and volume serves as the proof of commitment, is more and more a liability in today’s times.

— Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026
Elon Musk is now bragging that SpaceX will make epic investments en route to unleashing stupendous results.

— Shawn Tully, Fortune, 19 June 2026

Definition of bragging

Verb

This prancing herd of wild mustangs can be spotted from the river, on a kayak or inner tube.

— Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 17 June 2026
The music video shows Rodrigo prancing around the actual Palace of Versailles, in a controversial babydoll dress singing about a boy looking like an angel on its walls.

— Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

Definition of prancing

Adjective

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
Chatter about Azik’s famous delens abounds, as does boastful talk about how Monica Bellucci’s family hails from the same part of Nalchik.

— David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 13 May 2026

Definition of boastful

Browse Nearby Words

swaggerers

swaggering

swaggeringly

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Style

“Swaggering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swaggering. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of swaggering

adjective

verb

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