cocky

adjective

ˈkä-kē 

cockier; cockiest

1

: boldly or brashly self-confident

a cocky young actor

he is invariably a smug and cocky stuffed shirt

—James Thurber

2

: jaunty

cockily

ˈkä-kə-lē 

adverb

cockiness

ˈkä-kē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• arch
• audacious
• bold
• bold-faced
• brash
• brassbound
• brassy
• brazen
• brazen-faced
• cheeky
• cocksure
• fresh
• impertinent
• impudent
• insolent
• nervy
• sassy
• saucy
• wise

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

But on the occasions when the ball did find him around the box, the cocky assurance that saw him nutmeg Branthwaite en route to scoring a 29-minute hat-trick in last season’s corresponding fixture was nowhere to be seen. —Liam Twomey, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025

The Rock, cocky, handsome, and eager to flaunt his wealth and status, facing Stone Cold, the vicious everyman who can’t stand figures of authority. —Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025

Coop is a true antihero, a cocky guy who’s gotten knocked down from his perch, first by losing his psychologist wife (Amanda Peet) to his best friend (Mark Tallman), and then losing his lucrative hedge fund job. —Randy Myers, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2025

Inanely virtuous sisters are engaged to a pair of unrelated, inanely cocky bros. —Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

see cock entry 1

First Known Use

1768, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cocky

• blocky
• chalky
• gawky
• hockey
• jockey
• khaki
• machi
• maki
• rocky
• stocky
• talkie
• walkie

Kids Definition

cocky

adjective

ˈkäk-ē 

cockier; cockiest

1

: being too sure of oneself

2

: jaunty

cockily

ˈkäk-ə-lē 

adverb

cockiness

ˈkäk-ē-nəs 

noun