cockier; cockiest
1
: boldly or brashly self-confident
a cocky young actor
he is invariably a smug and cocky stuffed shirt—
James Thurber
James Thurber2
: jaunty
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
Still, closers have to be somewhat cocky to succeed in high-pressure situations, and Duran has been excellent on the whole since arriving in Philadelphia.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Greenfield, who plays the youngest adult sibling, had a cocky energy in his audition Bob-Waksberg appreciated.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 18 Aug. 2025
This was for the school’s talent competition, an opportunity for cocky children to show off their talents or, in my case, lack thereof.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 7 July 2025
Marty Supreme stars Timothée Chalamet as a cocky playboy ping-pong player, and that’s not even the most interesting part.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocky
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Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Greenfield, who plays the youngest adult sibling, had a cocky energy in his audition Bob-Waksberg appreciated.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 18 Aug. 2025
This was for the school’s talent competition, an opportunity for cocky children to show off their talents or, in my case, lack thereof.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 7 July 2025
Marty Supreme stars Timothée Chalamet as a cocky playboy ping-pong player, and that’s not even the most interesting part.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocky
Cite this Entry
“Cocky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cocky. Accessed 2 Sep. 2025.
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