Definition of VAUNTED

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 vanus, meaning "vain" or "empty." (The word vain itself is also a descendant of vanus.)

Examples of vaunted in a Sentence

The team's vaunted defense faltered in the second half of the game.

Recent Examples on the Web

Venezuela is in default of $6 billion in debt, can’t pay to keep up its once-vaunted oil sector and is unable to reliably provide services like water and transportation. — Kejal Vyas, WSJ, "Venezuelans Skeptical of Maduro’s Latest Measures to Salvage Economy," 21 Aug. 2018 Trump believes that his campaign pledges, including his much vaunted — and still-unfulfilled — promise to quickly build a U.S.-Mexico border wall, are still rallying cries. — Catherine Lucey, The Seattle Times, "Trump escalates immigration rhetoric at rally to boost Cruz," 22 Oct. 2018 Ford incorporates a slew of new technologies, including the vaunted electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS), which uses electromagnetism instead of traditional steam to launch aircraft from the flight deck. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "First of Its Class, America's Newest Aircraft Carrier Is Underway at Sea," 10 Apr. 2017 The last coal mine closed in the mid-1990s and since then, the city’s vaunted pottery industry, which launched famous brands such as Wedgwood and Spode, has shrunk radically in the face of low-cost foreign competition. — Donato Paolo Mancini, WSJ, "‘Extremely Weak’: A Pro-Brexit Bastion Takes Dim View of May’s Deal," 20 Nov. 2018 Michelin volunteered to make its vaunted Sport Cup 2 tires in a custom size for the Singer project. — Eric Tegler, Ars Technica, "Working on this Singer 911 restoration “turns” Williams F1 engineers," 24 Aug. 2018 Many believe the moves give L.A. a defense capable of matching the big-play aptitude of its vaunted offense. — Andy Benoit, SI.com, "Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters: How a Pair of High-End Corners Could Give the Rams the Edge," 20 June 2018 The Russian Army is ordering more than a hundred of its vaunted new tanks and armored fighting vehicles. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Russian Can't Afford To Give Its Next-Gen Battle Tanks to Most of its Army," 28 Aug. 2018 In Mexico’s first game, a 1-0 win against Germany, Osorio orchestrated a counterpunching masterpiece of a game plan, helping the Mexicans sidestep and stun their vaunted opponents. — Andrew Keh, New York Times, "Love Story: Mexico Wins Again and Its Fans Roar for the Coach," 24 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vaunted.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.