cockier; cockiest
Synonyms of cockynext
1
: boldly or brashly self-confident
a cocky young actor
he is invariably a smug and cocky stuffed shirtJames Thurber
2
: jaunty
cockily adverb
cockiness noun

Examples of cocky in a Sentence

Don't get too cocky about your chances of getting the job. a cocky young actor who thought that he was God's gift to the theater
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.
Seizing the opportunity to humble this cocky nobody, Rockwell tells Mauser to get a ping pong paddle and pull his pants down for a public spanking. Mike Miller, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Dec. 2025 The American actor, 25, stars as Ilya Rozanov, a cocky Russian hockey player for the fictional Boston Raiders, throughout HBO Max's six-episode show based on Rachel Reid's book of the same name that drops weekly. Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025 At his sentencing, Navarro experimented, after two years of cocky public obstruction, with a bespoke form of humility. Ian Parker, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025 Maybe even a tad cocky, but dedicated to honor and duty. Max Tani, semafor.com, 24 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cocky

Word History

Etymology

see cock entry 1

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cocky was in 1768

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cocky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cocky. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

cocky

adjective
cockier; cockiest
1
: being too sure of oneself
2
: jaunty
cockily adverb
cockiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on cocky

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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