vaunted

adjective

vaunt·​ed ˈvȯn-təd How to pronounce vaunted (audio)
ˈvän-
: highly or widely praised or boasted about
his own much vaunted ferocityCalvin 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 The Browns’ vaunted defense, which had been the best in the league in the first half of the season, hasn’t been as effective in recent games. Jim Ingraham, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2023 Graham had surprised the tech world in 2014 by tapping Altman, then in his 20s, to lead the vaunted Silicon Valley incubator. Nitasha Tiku, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023 Matched against a vaunted defense Monday night, the Chargers’ defenders responded by flexing their own muscles. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023 Hailing from a vaunted collection also carries weight. Jill Newman, Robb Report, 18 Nov. 2023 The album was born out of jams André 3000 undertook with the vaunted percussionist Carlos Niño. Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 14 Nov. 2023 The findings also shed new light on the tactics and methods used by Hamas to deceive Israel’s vaunted intelligence establishment and thwart initial efforts by the Israel Defense Forces to stop the attack. Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2023 Their stories are the story of this country, all the joy and heartbreak, all the vaunted hope and dismal reality. Joel Selvin, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Nov. 2023 Losing to the depleted 2023 Utah team at the Coliseum wasn’t acceptable and became downright embarrassing Saturday after Oregon dominated the Utes 35-6 at vaunted Rice-Eccles Stadium. J. Brady McCollough, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vaunted.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of vaunt entry 1

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of vaunted was in 1567

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Dictionary Entries Near vaunted

Cite this Entry

“Vaunted.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaunted. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

vaunted

adjective
vaunt·​ed ˈvȯnt-əd How to pronounce vaunted (audio)
ˈvänt-
: much praised or boasted about
the team's vaunted offense
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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