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 Ultimately, Ventrone’s vaunted punt block team landed the biggest blow. — Joel A. Erickson, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2021 Ultimately, Ventrone’s vaunted punt block team landed the biggest blow. — Joel A. Erickson, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Dec. 2021 That includes winning the Fiesta Bowl following the 2004 season when Whittingham and Urban Meyer were co-head coaches, and the vaunted 2008 team winning the Sugar Bowl to cap a 13-0 season. — Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Dec. 2021 Jalolov, an 8-0 professional who trains in California, won the only medal for the vaunted Uzbek team, which topped the table in Rio de Janeiro and sent 11 fighters to Tokyo. — Greg Beacham, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Aug. 2021 Jalolov, an 8-0 professional who trains in California, won the only medal for the vaunted Uzbek team, which topped the table in Rio de Janeiro and sent 11 fighters to Tokyo. — BostonGlobe.com, 8 Aug. 2021 La Cruz won the eighth heavyweight gold medal for the vaunted Cuban team, but the first since Odlanier Solis claimed the glamour division’s title in 2004. — Jim Vertuno, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Aug. 2021 From 2012 to 2017, Lieber participated in China’s Thousand Talents, the most vaunted talent program; his contract paid him fifty thousand dollars per month, along with generous startup fees to establish a lab in Wuhan. — The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2022 Back in the arena against his most vaunted opponent, Father Time, who thus far, Brady has managed to one-up again and again. — Mike Jones, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2022 See More

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.