: highly or widely praised or boasted about
… his own much vaunted ferocity …—
Calvin Tomkins
Calvin Tomkins
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Vaunted Has Latin Roots
The verb vaunt has been used since the 15th century with the meaning "to make a vain display of one's own worth or attainments"—in other words, "to brag or boast." Over time, vaunt developed the meaning "to boast of (something)," as in "the promotional flier vaunts the natural beauty of the area," and gave rise to the adjectival form vaunted. The history of vaunt and vaunted leads back to the Latin word vānus, meaning "vain" or "empty." The word vain itself is also a descendant of vānus.
Examples of vaunted in a Sentence
The team's vaunted defense faltered in the second half of the game.
Recent Examples on the Web
So as teams have started to make more hay in recent weeks against a vaunted Denver defense, Joseph was asked before the Broncos took on Green Bay about what, if anything, changes as a 17-game regular season grinds into its final weeks.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
Posting is a method of enacting a degraded version of that much-vaunted thing, community, with its ever-changing roster of winners and losers, in-groups and out-groups, and mean girls and sweet guys.
—Paul McAdory, Them., 9 Dec. 2025
The name takes inspiration from Israel's vaunted Iron Dome air defenses, although they are designed to intercept short-range threats, not long-range missiles.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
Encouraged by her good friends, Gentry visits the Opry and, while seated in one of the vaunted venue's oak church pews, is suddenly transported to 1995.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Dec. 2025
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Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
Posting is a method of enacting a degraded version of that much-vaunted thing, community, with its ever-changing roster of winners and losers, in-groups and out-groups, and mean girls and sweet guys.
—Paul McAdory, Them., 9 Dec. 2025
The name takes inspiration from Israel's vaunted Iron Dome air defenses, although they are designed to intercept short-range threats, not long-range missiles.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Dec. 2025
Encouraged by her good friends, Gentry visits the Opry and, while seated in one of the vaunted venue's oak church pews, is suddenly transported to 1995.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vaunted
Cite this Entry
“Vaunted.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaunted. Accessed 28 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
vaunted
adjective
vaunt·ed
ˈvȯnt-əd 
ˈvänt-
: much praised or boasted about
the team's vaunted offense
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