1
as in cocky
displaying or marked by rude boldness
his cocksure assertion that only he could solve the problem
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2
as in confident
having or showing a mind free from doubt
you're always so cocksure about everything
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cocksure
Amid the cocksure bravado of the adventure-sports world, fluidity is read as weakness.
—
Alison Van Houten, Outside Online, 22 Aug. 2020
So cocksure are they, even their hair seems to swagger.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2022
Craig Kilborn, the fratty cocksure original host of The Daily Show, had gotten his big call-up from CBS to host the late-night slot following David Letterman’s, which was one of two jobs Stewart didn’t get.
—Devin Gordon, The Atlantic, 21 Apr. 2022
After the evacuation, the four Brits were skewered as irresponsible and cocksure by Icelanders and media outlets around the world.
—Devon O’Neil, Outside Online, 20 Apr. 2016
See All Example Sentences for cocksure
Alison Van Houten, Outside Online, 22 Aug. 2020
So cocksure are they, even their hair seems to swagger.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2022
Craig Kilborn, the fratty cocksure original host of The Daily Show, had gotten his big call-up from CBS to host the late-night slot following David Letterman’s, which was one of two jobs Stewart didn’t get.
—Devin Gordon, The Atlantic, 21 Apr. 2022
After the evacuation, the four Brits were skewered as irresponsible and cocksure by Icelanders and media outlets around the world.
—Devon O’Neil, Outside Online, 20 Apr. 2016
See All Example Sentences for cocksure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cocksure
Adjective
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Stringing episodes together, screenwriter Anderson (working from a story co-created by Roman Coppola) treats Korda as a cocky survivor of fabulous riches.—
Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2025
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He’s joined by elder statesman Randall (Steve Carell), idealistic AI expert Jeff (Ramy Youssef) and the richest of them all: Ven (Cory Michael Smith), a clear Elon Musk analogue who rules over his social media empire with a cocky bravado.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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Sounding relaxed and confident, Arnault kicked off a 30-minute conversation with high praise for Chiuri, whose engaging narratives, graceful designs and merchandising prowess quadrupled the size of Dior, according to HSBC estimates.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
2 June 2025
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Glide over your skin in long, confident strokes—this formula blends like a dream.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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Considering Micah Parsons, Trey Hendrickson and T.J. Watt are all in line for new deals soon, getting something done with Hutchinson sooner rather than later would be wise.—
Colton Pouncy,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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Which is wiser: Spending money on more firefighting resources after wildfires break out and absorbing the extraordinary cost of damages, or investing in technologies and training to prevent wildfires from happening in the first place?—
Abhishek Singh,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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For years, the consensus has been that fiber is the surest way to manage the need for faster connectivity and to keep pace with technological advances and consumer expectations.—
Jennifer Sanders,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
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When the four magicians gathered for the first time, none of them were entirely sure who or what brought them together.—
Caroline Blair,
People.com,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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One chord appears to speak to the other, sounding almost impudent in their simplicity, equal parts ecstatic and heartbreakingly melancholic.—
Sam Davies,
Rolling Stone,
10 Mar. 2025
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In short, Moscow sees Montenegro as both strategically valuable and an impudent upstart that has thumbed its nose at the Russian bear while genuflecting before NATO and Washington.—
Edward P. Joseph,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Dec. 2016
Adjective
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One’s insolent, calling him lame and old, and the other affectedly infantile, but both are exhausting in their own way.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2025
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The government, in an insolent filing on Sunday evening, rewrote that instruction.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The trio were three of 10 inmates to make the brazen May 16 escape from their Orleans Parish jail.—
Louis Casiano , Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2025
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In their most brazen attack yet, last month Trump’s appointees ordered the Norwegian company Equinor to stop construction of Empire Wind, an ocean wind farm off the coast of Long Island that will help power New York City.—
Sammy Roth,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Running a small business is a bold and courageous endeavor.—
AllBusiness,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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From the postwar period to present, perhaps no nation of carmakers has made bolder strides or wielded greater influence on manufacturers and consumers alike than Japan.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cocksure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cocksure. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
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