cockier; cockiest
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.
Thanks to its partnership with Microsoft, resulting in near total control of PC chips throughout the 1990s, Intel got cocky. Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025 Ahmed will play cocky Flight Nurse Zay Patel, Meyboom as spirited rookie Flight Nurse Piper Adler, Eling as charming First Officer Wyatt Ellis, Lee as ambitious pilot Maya Yang, and Smith as Captain Riley, a globe-trotting pilot with a past connection to Wheezer. Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025 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 In Bachelorette season 11, Nick crashed the party and once again rubbed the other men (and many viewers) the wrong way in pursuit of Bristowe, whose ultimate pick, Shawn Booth, called him cocky and manipulative to his face. Laura Bradley, Vulture, 13 Aug. 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 10 Sep. 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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