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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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
  • Though the pace of attacks is a far cry from the peak of their war, Washington and Tehran have traded fire in recent days and rhetoric from both sides has been aggressive, while passage through the Strait of Hormuz remains restricted.
    — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Many leaders also called on Mayor Zohran Mamdani to lower the temperature of his rhetoric critical of Israel.
    — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 8 Sep. 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
  • 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
  • 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 results, published this year in the ‘Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise’ journal, ranked a suit blower running cold air first and a cold-air helmet blower second.
    — Patrick Iversen, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The deli counter handwash sink didn’t have any paper towels or mechanical blower.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of blower
Noun
  • Four years after the original and in the wake of persistent movie trivia chatter, the series finally lands in Hollywood with Scream 3.
    — Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Cocktail chatter on the Lido held that this was a more minor work than anticipated, and many of those positive reviews nevertheless included a few bum notes.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of chatter
Noun
  • De Zerbi is building a new-look squad around highly technical players and — for all his energy, bluster, nous and physicality – Richarlison does not fit that mould.
    — Dan Kilpatrick, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • For all their public bluster, Yemeni government forces remain internally fragmented.
    — April Longley Alley, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of bluster

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Cite this Entry

“Braggadocio.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/braggadocio. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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