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
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Recent Examples of braggadocio
Gulf Coast braggadocio, coupled with an incredibly effective government relations team, makes Bollinger an exciting-sounding partner.
—
Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Early in his career, Trump apprenticed himself to Roy Cohn, an unprincipled lawyer who taught the young Donald how to gain wealth and influence through ruthless bullying, profane braggadocio, opportunistic bigotry, baseless lawsuits, lying, and more lying.
—Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 21 Aug. 2025
However much that may be true, there can’t be many other actors that could play such a lovable loser with so much braggadocio and pathos.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2025
Like the opera, the film blends these disparate moods and tones at a whirlwind tempo: slapstick comedy and poignant melodrama, graceful lyricism and bumptious braggadocio, witty satire and bitter tragedy.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for braggadocio
Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Early in his career, Trump apprenticed himself to Roy Cohn, an unprincipled lawyer who taught the young Donald how to gain wealth and influence through ruthless bullying, profane braggadocio, opportunistic bigotry, baseless lawsuits, lying, and more lying.
—Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 21 Aug. 2025
However much that may be true, there can’t be many other actors that could play such a lovable loser with so much braggadocio and pathos.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2025
Like the opera, the film blends these disparate moods and tones at a whirlwind tempo: slapstick comedy and poignant melodrama, graceful lyricism and bumptious braggadocio, witty satire and bitter tragedy.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for braggadocio
Recent Examples of Synonyms for braggadocio
Noun
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Beneath Nkrumah’s elaborate rhetoric, Mazrui argued, lay a simple drive to consolidate control through a one-party state that would inevitably empower only his most loyal—and least thoughtful—allies.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
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If Gorsuch and Kavanaugh have attracted blowback for their individual writings of late, on the left side of the court, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's rhetoric has also raised eyebrows for her slashing dissents.—
Nina Totenberg,
NPR,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Still, Kimmel never came off as a braggart.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
24 Sep. 2025
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Even aside from Trump’s own enthusiastic personal immorality and impiety, his political style — the pugnacious smear artist and demagogic braggart — was the antithesis of what evangelicals had sought before.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The entertainment industry is no stranger to individuals who espouse contested stories about screen hits, but the producers of Legacy of Lies have grown tired of his brags.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
25 Sep. 2025
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While the sale hasn’t started just yet, there are tons of early Amazon Prime Day toy deals to get your holiday shopping started or snag a brag-worthy deal on a birthday gift.—
Anja Webb,
Parents,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The story is told from Dah’s perspective, as Jocelyn—who displays a quasi-mystical rapport with fighting cocks—suffers an emotional breakdown, putting their business and their lives in danger.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
26 July 2024
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The former became fighting cocks and the latter became sows.—
Matthew Gavin Frank,
Harper's Magazine,
6 June 2023
Noun
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The president’s bombast and capriciousness have led many European countries to increase their defense spending—a positive outcome, to be sure, and not inherently at odds with the notion of a unified, geopolitical West.—
Stewart Patrick,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Sep. 2025
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Ciel Dubai Marina This record-breaking approach is emblematic of the intent and sheer bombast with which Dubai is reshaping the travel and tourism market, with a strong focus on foreign investment and wealthy visitors.—
Duncan Madden,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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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
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Several of them can fly, and all have at least a touch of grandiloquence to them.—
Michael Nordine,
Variety,
11 Aug. 2022
Noun
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Some online chatter has also attributed the smaller options to the rise of Wegovy, Ozempic and other weight loss drugs.—
Jordan Valinsky,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
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Rodger’s upcoming debut novel, which is due to publish in 2027, has been directing chatter in worldwide circles, leading to the auction.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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That claim was the sort of startup bluster best taken with shakers of salt.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
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Was her prediction a bit of bluster?—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Braggadocio.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/braggadocio. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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