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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Recent Examples of cocky
That Johnson, who has never been a head coach before, felt cocky enough to tell that story on the podium is a great thing.
—
Jon Greenberg, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
Her Lieutenant Joanne Galloway is the beating heart of the film, ensuring that justice for the two marines accused of murder doesn’t get lost among the pissing contest between Cruise’s cocky lawyer, Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, and Nicholson’s megalomaniacal Colonel Nathan Jessup.
—Eddie Mouradian, Vulture, 24 Feb. 2025
Kieran Culkin’s good at being cocky and irreverent, and both of those characters have that.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 15 Feb. 2025
The cocky decision will have unnerving ramifications.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocky
Jon Greenberg, The Athletic, 26 Feb. 2025
Her Lieutenant Joanne Galloway is the beating heart of the film, ensuring that justice for the two marines accused of murder doesn’t get lost among the pissing contest between Cruise’s cocky lawyer, Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, and Nicholson’s megalomaniacal Colonel Nathan Jessup.
—Eddie Mouradian, Vulture, 24 Feb. 2025
Kieran Culkin’s good at being cocky and irreverent, and both of those characters have that.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 15 Feb. 2025
The cocky decision will have unnerving ramifications.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cocky
Adjective
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Here, Forbes Coaches Council members share wise strategies for tactfully and strategically highlighting your contributions at work.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
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Speaking of family, Nivola’s parents gave him some wise advice.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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No brand should be so cocksure as to presume its products are irreplaceable.—
Cate Rubenstein,
Rolling Stone,
11 Jan. 2023
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Nayeri’s demeanor — usually cocksure — became unhinged.—
Tim Dickinson,
Rolling Stone,
17 Dec. 2022
Adjective
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Parthenope is inscrutable yet expressive, insolent yet heroic, magnetic yet unattainable, loving yet selfish.—
Mike Miller,
EW.com,
12 Feb. 2025
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The officers weren't rude, angry, or insolent — as required of a battery conviction — and used their training and legal authority to do their jobs.—
Ryan Murphy,
The Indianapolis Star,
2 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The sassy semi-homemade dressing (featuring Italian dressing, balsamic, honey, and crushed red pepper flakes), the tender sautéed chicken, and the enticing combination of colorful vegetables really help this supper shine.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
19 Mar. 2025
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My final eggless contribution is this sassy chocolate acorn squash mousse for an elegant and easy treat that’s suitable (and delightful) for both Passover, Easter, along with our sad period of egg scarcity and beyond.—
Catharine Kaufman,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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As a result of this brazen detention, Columbia Graduate School of Journalism noncitizen students have been advised to stop covering sensitive issues like Gaza, Ukraine and their own former classmate’s case, while scrubbing social media of this new wrongthink.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
16 Mar. 2025
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The fight among anti-Trumpers of all stripes has faded in recent days as Trump’s brazen conquest of the spending system was looking increasingly inevitable.—
Philip Elliott,
TIME,
14 Mar. 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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More specifically, the impudent Skull Kid steals the Ocarina of Time and turns Link into a Deku Scrub, those antagonistic tree cannons first introduced in Ocarina.—
Ashley Bardhan,
Vulture,
27 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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Picture high-collar zip-ups, bold color-blocking, and contrast piping for maximum throwback appeal.—
Victoria Montalti,
refinery29.com,
14 Mar. 2025
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Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer recently made the bold prediction that the Yankees would stand pat and not add anybody to replace Cole.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Dark Empaths can grasp the subtleties of human behavior and use that insight to conceal their shortcomings behind a brash level of confidence.—
Dan Pontefract,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
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Dsquared2 celebrated its 30th anniversary with a collection that featured all the brand’s hallmarks, including glittery embellishments, paint splatter and brash washes.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cocky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cocky. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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