vaunted

adjective

vaunt·​ed ˈvȯn-təd 

ˈvän-

: highly or widely praised or boasted about

his own much vaunted ferocity

—Calvin Tomkins

Did you know?

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

Look no further than the Black Sea, where Ukrainian forces have managed to destroy 26 Russian vessels and forced Moscow’s vaunted Black Sea Fleet to a safe harbor hundreds of miles away using missiles, kamikaze UAVs, and explosive-laden drone boats. —Jared Keller, WIRED, 19 Aug. 2024

Sphere Entertainment, which owns the vaunted Las Vegas Sphere, could rise 23%, while Fox is projected to gain 18% from here. —Samantha Subin, CNBC, 16 Aug. 2024

One&Only Moonlight Basin Arriving in time for the 2025 ski season is the first-ever American outpost of the highly vaunted five-star hotel collection. —Brad Japhe, Travel + Leisure, 14 Aug. 2024

The couple, who live most of the year in Connecticut and have three school-age children, had been working with Kamp Studios, the vaunted plaster workshop, on sprucing up their main residence. —Catherine Hong, Architectural Digest, 5 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of vaunt entry 1

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

vaunted

adjective

vaunt·​ed ˈvȯnt-əd 

ˈvänt-

: much praised or boasted about

the team's vaunted offense