: highly or widely praised or boasted about
his own much vaunted ferocity—
Calvin Tomkins
Calvin Tomkins
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Vaunted Has Latin Roots
The verb vaunt has been used since the 15th century with the meaning "to make a vain display of one's own worth or attainments"—in other words, "to brag or boast." Over time, vaunt developed the meaning "to boast of (something)," as in "the promotional flier vaunts the natural beauty of the area," and gave rise to the adjectival form vaunted. The history of vaunt and vaunted leads back to the Latin word vānus, meaning "vain" or "empty." The word vain itself is also a descendant of vānus.
Examples of vaunted in a Sentence
The team's vaunted defense faltered in the second half of the game.
Recent Examples on the Web
Thaksin made a vaunted homecoming from Dubai in 2023 to serve an eight-year sentence for abuse of power and conflicts of interest, but on his first night in prison, he was transferred to the VIP wing of a hospital on medical grounds.
—Panarat Thepgumpanat, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
In a season marked by injuries to his club’s vaunted rotation, Woo has come up big.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
If last year’s acquisition of quarterback transfer and eventual superstar Ward quickly turned Miami into a contender, Beck’s Sunday performance offered evidence that his throwing elbow was strong enough to overcome a vaunted Irish program coming off a loss to Ohio State in the national title game.
—Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 1 Sep. 2025
Especially playing in the vaunted Catholic Conference.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 1 Sep. 2025
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Panarat Thepgumpanat, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
In a season marked by injuries to his club’s vaunted rotation, Woo has come up big.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
If last year’s acquisition of quarterback transfer and eventual superstar Ward quickly turned Miami into a contender, Beck’s Sunday performance offered evidence that his throwing elbow was strong enough to overcome a vaunted Irish program coming off a loss to Ohio State in the national title game.
—Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 1 Sep. 2025
Especially playing in the vaunted Catholic Conference.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vaunted
Cite this Entry
“Vaunted.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaunted. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
vaunted
adjective
vaunt·ed
ˈvȯnt-əd 
ˈvänt-
: much praised or boasted about
the team's vaunted offense
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