braggadocious

What does braggadocious mean?

Braggadocious describes someone or something as boastful or braggy (or in other words, expressive of excessive self-pride).

Examples of braggadocious

The Harlem musician’s [Kelis] 2003 hit, “Milkshake,” boasts a dirty, distorted funk-R&B beat from the Neptunes—paired with an infectious hook featuring confident lyrics that ooze both feminine mystique and braggadocious swagger.
—J’Na Jefferson, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2025

A braggadocious big cat, accustomed to easy victories, finds himself challenged when he enters a plant-growing contest.
—Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2025

The writing community matters a lot to [Siang] Lu. He expresses it in his own idiosyncratic way through what he calls “Silly Bookstagram”, where he Photoshops fellow authors’ book covers to be about himself. Lu stresses that the braggadocious nature of the posts is an exaggerated persona but he enjoys connecting with, and promoting, other writers through this tongue-in-cheek project, which has had a real-life impact.
—Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, The Guardian, 24 July 2025

Where does braggadocious come from?

Likely from braggadocio, which entered English in the late 16th century, first referring to a person given to bragging, and later took on such meanings as “empty boasting” and “arrogant pretension.” Braggadocious hasn’t been around quite as long, but it’s still fairly old, appearing the U.S. in the mid-1800s. Our Unabridged dictionary records the existence of the adjective braggadocian, “given to or of the nature of a braggadocio.”

When we first started together he never intended that I should be paid for my labor. He has since said so, unequivocally said so, and that in a braggadocious and taunting manner …
—William A. Richardson, Justice Suppressed by a Combination of Individuals Headed by John G. King of Salem, 1847

His kindness quite encouraged me, and I was growing perfectly braggadocious.
—Actæon, “Memoirs of Sporting in France,” The Sporting Review, Volume 32, 1854

How is braggadocious used?

As brimming with self-confidence is not necessarily a bad thing, braggadocious often—though not always—has a complimentary flavor. It has also spawned an adverb, braggadociously.

Check out this spitfire duet with Cardi B, who braggadociously identifies as “como Al Pacino.”
—Lindsay Zoladz, The New York Times, 25 June 2024