braggadocio

noun

brag·​ga·​do·​cio ˌbra-gə-ˈdō-sē-ˌō 

-shē-,

-chē-,

-(ˌ)shō,

-(ˌ)chō

plural braggadocios

1

a

: empty boasting

… doubts about his creative activities beset him from time to time and, paradoxically, led to frequent outbursts of braggadocio.

—Bernard Denvir

b

: arrogant pretension : cockiness

… the air of swaggering braggadocio that all important men are expected to show in fighting …

—C. W. M. Hart

2

: braggart

an obnoxious braggadocio

Did you know?

Though Braggadocio is not as well-known as other fictional characters like Pollyanna, the Grinch, or Scrooge, in lexicography he holds a special place next to them as one of the many characters whose name has become an established word in English. The English poet Edmund Spenser originally created Braggadocio as a personification of boasting in his epic poem The Faerie Queene. As early as 1594, about four years after the poem was published, English speakers began using the name as a general term for any blustering blowhard. The now more common use of braggadocio, referring to the talk or behavior of such windy cockalorums, developed in the early 18th century.

Synonyms of braggadocio

• rhetoric
• brag
• bombast
• grandiloquence
• chatter
• bluster
• magniloquence
• rodomontade

Examples of braggadocio in a Sentence

a loudmouthed braggart who hid his cowardice with braggadocio

his braggadocio hid the fact that he felt personally inadequate

Recent Examples on the Web

The album is a hot mess of conflicted emotions, empty braggadocio, poor technique, and heartbreaking yet tiresome crying jags. —Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2025

The first singles from Carey’s 16th album are dripping with braggadocio with her inimitable voice wafting like smoke. —Matthew Schnipper, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025

This display exposes the campaign’s braggadocio. —Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 1 Sep. 2025

But in the Trump era of flashy braggadocio and chest-thumping one-upmanship, Newsom is fighting fire with fire. —Matt K. Lewis, Mercury News, 28 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Braggadochio, personification of boasting in Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for braggadocio

• adagio
• altiplano
• arapaho
• arapahoe
• manifesto
• medicago
• minangkabau
• oregano
• ostinato
• pistachio
• politico
• portfolio

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Kids Definition

braggadocio

noun

brag·​ga·​do·​cio ˌbrag-ə-ˈdō-shē-ˌō 

-sē-ˌō,

-shō

plural braggadocios

1

: braggart

2

: loud and empty boasting

Etymology

from Braggadochio, a boasting character in literature