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

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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 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 Nicholson's portrayal of a rebellious mental hospital inmate is a phenomenal combination of sly intelligence and impish braggadocio, best showcased during the scene where, thwarted in his attempt to watch the World Series on TV, McMurphy ad libs a commentary in front of a blank set. — Devan Coggan, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026 Trump’s braggadocio State of the Union message about our surging economy and his compassionate ICE raids was the icing on the Circassian cake. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2026 Sure enough, Son did indeed suffer another precipitous fall, though today is once again brimming with braggadocio. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 24 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for braggadocio
Recent Examples of Synonyms for braggadocio
  1. rhetoric
  2. braggart
  3. brag
  4. blower
  5. bombast
  6. grandiloquence
  7. chatter
  8. bluster
Noun
  • Now, the rhetoric has expanded beyond the candidates themselves, pulling Scholten — who is not running for governor — into the political crossfire.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 21 July 2026
  • In other words, Lander did not feel the need to appease the Zionist mob by softening his rhetoric.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 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
  • Harvind Singh, the CEO of a consulting engineering firm in Chicago, didn't start keeping a brag log until mid-career.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 21 July 2026
  • But not even Footer’s thorough sleuthing has unearthed much more than Bradley’s brag.
    — Brian Seibert, New Yorker, 13 May 2026
Definition of brag
Noun
  • Maybe the manager didn’t feel like flapping their arms to dry them, seeing as how the cookline handwash sink didn’t have paper towels or a blower.
    — David J. Neal July 24, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
  • Nearly a century later in 1978, in the wake of the Watergate scandal, a second Civil Service Reform Act was passed providing further protections, including for whistle blowers.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
Definition of blower
Noun
  • The Eagles reached the Super Bowl in 2022, and Sirianni’s bombast was colorful.
    — Zach Berman, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • The screen is big, the image is sharp and bright, but Nolan’s visual compositions are dull—just pictures of actors acting, without style or poetry—and his fetish for size is just bombast and vanity.
    — Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
Definition of bombast
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
  • But for as much financial chatter as there is about what players make and what teams cost, there’s still a major element of the unknown that most coaches believe is working against them.
    — Brendan Marks, New York Times, 26 July 2026
  • The rest ranged from issues like immigration enforcement and Georgia’s marquee races to more surprising chatter about the hometown baseball team.
    — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of chatter
Noun
  • Even Erika freely admits the art world is a scam, although some of her bluster is self-protective.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
  • Like every precocious rising star fluent in the dialect of bluster, Wembanyama talked big, too.
    — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 24 June 2026
Definition of bluster

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braggadocio
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Cite this Entry

“Braggadocio.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/braggadocio. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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