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

The fact that the boss has a vaunted reputation is unlikely to make their direct reports feel any better, nor will memories of the boss’s exceptional leadership once upon a time offer much comfort. — Sarah Todd, Quartz at Work, "Why it’s so dangerous when star employees check out," 2 July 2019 Eubanks’ eagerness to learn stems from him having seen so many young players benefit from working with the Spurs’ vaunted player development staff. — Tom Orsborn, ExpressNews.com, "Drew Eubanks bangs away while patiently trusting Spurs’ plan," 2 July 2019 China had only allowed one goal in its three group stage games but the talented Italian attack broke down the vaunted defense. — Joseph Wilson, The Denver Post, "Italy beats China, reaches first FIFA Women’s World Cup quarterfinal since 1991," 25 June 2019 Williamson, the consensus college basketball player of the year at Duke, became the top choice after the Pelicans won the vaunted NBA draft lottery in April. — Terry Collins, Fortune, "Zion Williamson and Other Top NBA Draft Picks Are About to Cash In. Here's How Much They Could Make," 21 June 2019 Giordano beat out two vaunted finalists: San Jose’s Brent Burns, who won it in 2017, and Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman, who won it last year. — Greg Beacham, BostonGlobe.com, "Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov wins the Hart Trophy," 19 June 2019 Without uttering a word, a show vaunted for frankness and wild outspokenness makes its powerful case for privacy. — Parul Sehgal, New York Times, "How ‘Fleabag’ Seduces Us, Then Accuses Us," 19 June 2019 The trade wars are arguably hitting Trump's vaunted base hardest as farmers across the US suffer the brunt of disruptions and poor consumers suddenly face higher prices on key basic goods, ranging from avocados to autos. — CNN, "The bond market may be signaling something worse than a recession: Distrust in America," 4 June 2019 The injury also cost him a summer playing in the vaunted Cape Cod League. — Alex Schiffer, kansascity, "Mizzou baseball makes history in MLB Draft with two players selected before Round 2," 3 June 2019

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.