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
Synonyms
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
And then there’s The Outsiders, a musical based on S.E. Hinton’s 1967 young adult novel that came to New York last March pretty cocky from a popular engagement at San Diego’s La Jolla Playhouse and plenty of pre-arrival press.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2024
No one from either party should feel cocky about Pennsylvania.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 8 Aug. 2024
Buckley joined One Tree Hill in Season 7 and played cocky sports agent Clay Evans.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 8 July 2024
But after Lyles’ win, other NBA standouts have fully let go of their criticism of the cocky yet impressive Lyles.
—Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 6 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cocky 
Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2024
No one from either party should feel cocky about Pennsylvania.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 8 Aug. 2024
Buckley joined One Tree Hill in Season 7 and played cocky sports agent Clay Evans.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 8 July 2024
But after Lyles’ win, other NBA standouts have fully let go of their criticism of the cocky yet impressive Lyles.
—Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 6 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cocky
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cocky.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cocky
Cite this Entry
“Cocky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cocky. Accessed 8 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share