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.
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 Hero Ellen Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) lonely fight for survival gave way to a military mission to vanquish aliens ravaging a human colony; Cameron filled the frame with cocky Marines, boxy space tanks, and an adorable orphan who finds in Ripley a surrogate mother. Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2025 While demonstrating a basic wrestling hold on Belzer, however, Hogan accidentally choked out the cocky host who went limp and passed out onstage, hitting his head. Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025 Its setting is Fantastic Four’s secret weapon, making the otherwise ridiculous stretching abilities of Reed Richards, the radioactive gentle giant that is the Thing, the den mother vibes of Sue Storm, and the cocky womanizing wiles of Johnny Storm into something quaint and retro cool. Maureen Lee Lenker Published, EW.com, 22 July 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 21 Aug. 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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