braggadocio

noun

ˌbra-gə-ˈdō-sē-ˌō How to pronounce braggadocio (audio)
Definition of braggadocionext
1
as in rhetoric
boastful speech or writing his braggadocio hid the fact that he felt personally inadequate

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2
as in braggart
someone who boasts the swaggering braggadocio is a stock figure of American folklore, with Davy Crockett and Mike Fink being prime examples

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of braggadocio In the context of tens of thousands of DPS students who aren’t making gains quickly enough to ever meet proficiency levels, such fanfare is essentially distracting braggadocio. — Elaine Gantz Berman, Denver Post, 27 July 2026 In person, Huang subdues his ironic braggadocio with polite eye contact and rolling belly laughs at his own jokes. — Mariella Rudi, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026 For all of his entertaining braggadocio, his tongue is never lodged in cheek. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026 Rather than bluster and braggadocio, the Department of Defense needs a well-conceived and thoughtfully presented multiyear program to build a military fit for large-scale and sustained war. — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for braggadocio
Recent Examples of Synonyms for braggadocio
  1. rhetoric
  2. braggart
  3. bombast
  4. brag
  5. grandiloquence
  6. blower
  7. chatter
  8. bluster
Noun
  • The political right has been targeting Indian Americans for more than a year, with racist rhetoric deployed against the H1-B visa program, Sikh truck drivers and Hindu temples and festivals.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Tweets about Cunningham, thinkpieces, and rebuttals have all swirled into an endless mass of controversy — one dominated by derogatory rhetoric, threats, and anti-trans memes.
    — CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of rhetoric
Noun
  • Clayton is cool and kind and a big braggart.
    — Wendy Paris, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026
  • Not to become a braggart, but to amplify my or our team’s success on projects or risk going unnoticed.
    — Lintao "LT" Lu, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2026
Definition of braggart
Noun
  • All the bombast and charisma of the music and the persona were made to feel depressingly small.
    — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The problem with the abstract expressionists’ relentless courting of the sublime was that the process of distillation produced too much bombast.
    — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of bombast
Noun
  • The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has lent some backing in their own study to Waymo’s safety brag.
    — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 11 Oct. 2026
  • One of the Roundhouse’s biggest brags is an extensive liquor collection, highlighting spirits produced in New York State.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of brag
Noun
  • Much of that singularity was centered in McCarthy’s prose, which ricocheted—sometimes gracefully, sometimes jarringly—between gruff matter-of-factness and soaring, biblical grandiloquence.
    — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 13 June 2023
  • Several of them can fly, and all have at least a touch of grandiloquence to them.
    — Michael Nordine, Variety, 11 Aug. 2022
Definition of grandiloquence
Noun
  • The films about them have in turn evolved from coming-of-age stories and stylish bio-pics into whistle-blower dramas and dark thrillers.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The front handwash sink lacked paper towels or a hand blower.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of blower
Noun
  • After the first 10 handshakes, the chatter softens to a murmur.
    — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 11 Oct. 2026
  • White space opportunities like clinical skin care, clean makeup and designer fragrances are often cited by industry analysts as potential areas of growth, and there is considerable chatter about the company’s M&A strategy.
    — Jenny B. Fine, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of chatter
Noun
  • But threats made seemingly in jest or as playground bluster can also attract police attention.
    — Kristian Hernández, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The European Union, the United Kingdom, and Canada mobilized to curb his bluster.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of bluster

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braggadocio
braggadocios
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Cite this Entry

“Braggadocio.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/braggadocio. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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