: 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
Its asymmetric capabilities — Iran’s vaunted capacity to execute mass casualty events in the West, attacking soft targets and terrorizing its civilians — were overhyped, or Iran simply didn’t want to risk such an attack.
—The Editors, National Review, 24 June 2025
Dynamic’s first game was against the vaunted Montverde, and his squad jumped out to an early 12–2 lead, largely owing to the players’ defensive effort.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
Iran retaliated by firing hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, some of which penetrated the country’s vaunted multi-tiered air defense system.
—Elena Becatoros, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2025
This is the same vaunted facility responsible for other top shelf expressions of agave spirit from brands including Cierto, Don Fulcano and ArteNOM.
—Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 22 June 2025
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The Editors, National Review, 24 June 2025
Dynamic’s first game was against the vaunted Montverde, and his squad jumped out to an early 12–2 lead, largely owing to the players’ defensive effort.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
Iran retaliated by firing hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, some of which penetrated the country’s vaunted multi-tiered air defense system.
—Elena Becatoros, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2025
This is the same vaunted facility responsible for other top shelf expressions of agave spirit from brands including Cierto, Don Fulcano and ArteNOM.
—Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 22 June 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 3 Jul. 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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