COCKY Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

cocky

adjective

ˈkä-kē

Definition of cocky

as in wise

displaying or marked by rude boldness a cocky young actor who thought that he was God's gift to the theater

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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 cocky Joe Jonas as Shane Gray Since his days as the cocky but lovable Shane Gray in Camp Rock, Joe Jonas has carved out a multifaceted career. — Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026 Dix was a baseball prodigy too cocky and flashy for his own good who now coasts through life on his long-ago heroics coupled with charm and an undeserved diet of luck. — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026 Murray, a stoic veteran, wasn’t sure what to make of Kent, who played with a cocky edge. — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 26 July 2026 Responsible or not, Polly’s behavior is therefore at best cavalier, and at worst, especially during his police room interviews, downright cocky. — Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 22 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for cocky

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cocky

Adjective

Maybe there’s an equilibrium that must be restored on this show, relationship-wise.

— Tom Smyth, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
Anthropic updates its policies to bar users being cruel to Claude, inflaming a debate about whether the company’s concern for ‘model welfare’ is wise.

— Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of wise

Adjective

The country’s website on the topic sports the cocksure hashtag #CroatiaYourNewOffice; Croatia’s focus on this segment of travelers has been so successful that researchers there published academic papers on the phenomenon.

— Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 14 July 2026
For one, Columbus’s face wears the haughtiest, most cocksure expression in Lewis’s body of work.

— Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 8 June 2026

Definition of cocksure

Adjective

Ego Nwodim had a sassy reaction to Shane Gillis following his controversial monologue on Saturday Night Live.

— Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
That it is wedged into a modern, and very sassy-looking bike with great brakes and suspension should be celebrated.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of sassy

Adjective

Lovato’s dress, courtesy of Fanci Club, was a deep shade of eggplant purple and topped off with a scarlet-red lace bralette, making for a brazen club-friendly outfit only enhanced by the even more noticeable shoes.

— Erin Wisti, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
The photos and trailer released Thursday show Boyle as a brazen, ambitious college student who teams up with Garner’s brainy Ellison to launch their own cryptocurrency business.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of brazen

Adjective

The movie is an epic series of harrumphs and harangues, propelled from room to room—and, in time, out into the world beyond the estate—by a spirit of impudent absurdism and corrosive cynicism which seems to emanate from Digger himself.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026
Mantello wasn’t being impudent.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026

Definition of impudent

Adjective

Inspired by archival photographs of alpine pioneer and early Moncler collaborator Lionel Terray, each is captured in bold portraits wearing reimagined versions of signature Moncler outerwear and accessories.

— Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
Industry reactions to some of these bold decisions, however, feel louder this year.

— Clayton Davis, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of bold

Adjective

In creating the 2026 version, the team stripped away some of the synth for a more organic sound, with the addition of live drums and brash guitars.

— Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
He is credited with bringing modernism to the region, introducing local audiences to what was then still a brash way of painting that put emotions first and realism second.

— Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of brash

Browse Nearby Words

cock-ups

cocky

cocomposer

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“Cocky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cocky. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of cocky

adjective

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