: 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
On Wednesday, Trump said that some of the vaunted missile systems had been shipped to Ukraine.
—Astha Rajvanshi, NBC news, 16 July 2025
Austin's owes the origins of its vaunted high-tech industry to the federal government.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 15 July 2025
Now, the group of Nick Carter, Brian Littrell, Kevin Richardson, AJ McLean and Howie Dorough hit a new historical height as the first pop group to play the vaunted Sphere in Las Vegas.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 13 July 2025
The first batch of prisoners came following the Allied defeat of the General Erwin Rommel’s vaunted Afrika Korps in North Africa in May 1943.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for vaunted
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Astha Rajvanshi, NBC news, 16 July 2025
Austin's owes the origins of its vaunted high-tech industry to the federal government.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 15 July 2025
Now, the group of Nick Carter, Brian Littrell, Kevin Richardson, AJ McLean and Howie Dorough hit a new historical height as the first pop group to play the vaunted Sphere in Las Vegas.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 13 July 2025
The first batch of prisoners came following the Allied defeat of the General Erwin Rommel’s vaunted Afrika Korps in North Africa in May 1943.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 10 July 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 23 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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