as in wise
displaying or marked by rude boldness
a cocky young actor who thought that he was God's gift to the theater
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Recent Examples of cocky
Hero Ellen Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) lonely fight for survival gave way to a military mission to vanquish aliens ravaging a human colony; Cameron filled the frame with cocky Marines, boxy space tanks, and an adorable orphan who finds in Ripley a surrogate mother.
—
Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
While demonstrating a basic wrestling hold on Belzer, however, Hogan accidentally choked out the cocky host who went limp and passed out onstage, hitting his head.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
Its setting is Fantastic Four’s secret weapon, making the otherwise ridiculous stretching abilities of Reed Richards, the radioactive gentle giant that is the Thing, the den mother vibes of Sue Storm, and the cocky womanizing wiles of Johnny Storm into something quaint and retro cool.
—Maureen Lee Lenker Published, EW.com, 22 July 2025
The entire Sun bench exploded to its feet to embrace the 14-year veteran superstar, who quickly broke into a cocky smile.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocky
Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
While demonstrating a basic wrestling hold on Belzer, however, Hogan accidentally choked out the cocky host who went limp and passed out onstage, hitting his head.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
Its setting is Fantastic Four’s secret weapon, making the otherwise ridiculous stretching abilities of Reed Richards, the radioactive gentle giant that is the Thing, the den mother vibes of Sue Storm, and the cocky womanizing wiles of Johnny Storm into something quaint and retro cool.
—Maureen Lee Lenker Published, EW.com, 22 July 2025
The entire Sun bench exploded to its feet to embrace the 14-year veteran superstar, who quickly broke into a cocky smile.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cocky
Adjective
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Stashing a talented prospect like him is a wise decision for a front office that should be taking a long view with its rebuild, not to mention Douglas’ history of concussions (two in 2023) and contract coming up next season.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
22 Aug. 2025
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But the Tigers also made wise offseason moves, not the least of which was signing former New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres to a one-year, $15 million contract.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
No brand should be so cocksure as to presume its products are irreplaceable.—
Cate Rubenstein,
Rolling Stone,
11 Jan. 2023
-
Nayeri’s demeanor — usually cocksure — became unhinged.—
Tim Dickinson,
Rolling Stone,
17 Dec. 2022
Adjective
-
Beautiful, not perfect; Alex can be rude, insolent, and subject to wild emotional swings and failures of decorum and logic.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Aug. 2025
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The movie’s startling originality is in its spirit, its insolent ironies.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
Danielle Spencer, who portrayed Raj’s sassy younger sister on the 1970s sitcom What’s Happening!!—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
12 Aug. 2025
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Twenty-two years ago, Curtis turned in some of her best work as a sassy rocker teenager trapped in the body of her strait-laced mom, and revisiting that concept is more than enough reason to launch a sequel.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The parent company of Denver’s Hyde Park Jewelers still declines to discuss what happened and the Denver Police Department still refuses to release its reports, photos and videos from the brazen burglary, because its investigation is still open.—
Justin Wingerter,
Denver Post,
19 Aug. 2025
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But the mob was discreet compared to Trump’s brazen, boastful ways.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Gemma reluctantly agrees to rebuild her impudent robot in a new body, and the sequel ends with an explosive showdown between Amelia and M3GAN, who nearly dies in a noble attempt to save Gemma and her niece, Cady (Violet McGraw).—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
29 June 2025
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One chord appears to speak to the other, sounding almost impudent in their simplicity, equal parts ecstatic and heartbreakingly melancholic.—
Sam Davies,
Rolling Stone,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The bold infrastructure plan commanded multiple articles on the front page.—
Jennifer Brett,
Nashville Tennessean,
17 Aug. 2025
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This collection hits hard with satin bombers, pullover windbreakers, bold navy and orange team colors, and all the vintage Starter flair that defined a generation of sideline style.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The Oscar winner hasn’t been this bold and brash since Training Day.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
15 Aug. 2025
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The questions, in and of themselves, revealed a brash willingness to corrupt the agency.—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cocky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cocky. Accessed 31 Aug. 2025.
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