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
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
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
See All Example Sentences for cocky
Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 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
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
See All Example Sentences for cocky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cocky
Adjective
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Even though the Fever could get into the playoffs, bringing Clark back might not be a wise decision.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
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However, nutrition-wise, corn tortillas typically offer more advantages thanks to fewer calories, less sodium, and a higher fiber content.—
Jillian Kubala,
Health,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Set on a white-run construction site in West Africa, the story follows an edgy foreman anxiously awaiting his bride, whose presence meets resistance from a cocksure engineer clinging to the hyper-masculine status quo.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
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Blyth plays Cal, a jumpy and cocksure construction manager who is very much the third wheel — or more like the monkey wrench — in the recent couple formed by Leonie and the considerably older Horn.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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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
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This retired firefighter and bomb tech rose from the flames stronger, sassier, and ready to find a spark that lasts.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
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Some cats are playful and sassy— going for the toys, knocking glasses off of tables, spider monkeying their owners from the top of a bookshelf.—
TJ Macias,
Kansas City Star,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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His brazen effort to take over the Federal Reserve by removing a governor who has not been fully investigated nor charged with any crime is unprecedented and has congressional Republicans worried about overreach.—
Paul Bedard,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Aug. 2025
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The brazen goofiness is applied to the movie’s howl of terror like smiley-face stickers on a gravestone.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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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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Fortunately, Snow White’s newfound enlightenment does not deny her the possibility of romance, although princes are now strictly off-limits; her love interest here is a fetchingly impudent bandit, Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who is leading a scrappy rebellion against the Evil Queen.—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Known on the show for her bold Malaysian flavors, the baker regularly posts baking tips and recipes with her audience, and has even spent some time with fellow contestants.—
Jane LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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Carpenter joined a list of bold names like Lady Gaga, Tate McRae, Mariah Carey, and Ricky Martin as the night's performers.—
Mikelle Street,
Them.,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Their new songs were brash and bold, the type of pop songs for jumping on a hotel bed, but stemmed from a place of clarity — even in the rowdy context of their release show.—
Nina Corcoran,
Rolling Stone,
30 Aug. 2025
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Following the success of its Buenos Aires and Miami Beach siblings, the New York outpost of Alan Faena’s chic hotel group will be big, bold and brash.—
Jennifer Kester,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cocky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cocky. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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