as in cocky
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1
as in boasting
to praise or express pride in one's own possessions, qualities, or accomplishments often to excess
I, too, would swagger if I'd won first place in the bowling tournament
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in strutting
to walk with exaggerated arm and leg movements
hoping to impress the women at the bar, the young man confidently swaggered across the room
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Recent Examples of swaggering
Devon Ivie, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
With her friend Danielle Siggerud, an architect based in Copenhagen, Calderone and her team at Studio Athena Calderone made respectful updates to the swaggering floor plan.
—Sarah Medford, Architectural Digest, 10 Mar. 2026
During the show’s wildly popular first season, Robby was treated as a swaggering, tortured heartthrob by the viewers who turned this HBO Max original into an Emmy-winning success.
—Esther Zuckerman, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
Dane and the Grey’s writers gradually transformed Mark from a hot, swaggering jerk into a guy loved enough to have the hospital renamed after him (and his equally doomed love, Lexie Grey, played by Chyler Leigh) when the character died.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 20 Feb. 2026
Nor are the stars the coaches, though both the Seahawks’ second-year coach Mike Macdonald and Mike Vrabel in his first with the Patriots have shown their swaggering talent.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
But the dudes can take a victory lap today, celebrating the nomination of Joseph Kosinski’s swaggering, vroom-vroom sports movie.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Decades later, times may have changed, but the appeal of that swaggering style endures.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 20 Jan. 2026
And her co-stars—Jacob Elordi as a brooding Heathcliff, Alison Oliver as an angelic Isabella Linton, Hong Chau as a steely Nelly Dean, and Shazad Latif as a swaggering Edgar Linton—would also be subverting our expectations.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2026
Ken Simmons, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
Two swaggering outlaws roll into a mining town and unleash a wave of cruelty.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026
The timing of such self-reflection was notable, on the direct horizon of an AFC divisional-round matchup against a Bills team that’ll require calls-to-the-wall swaggering from Payton.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2026
This skinny kid from Norman, Oklahoma, swaggering up and down the court.
—Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Die a hero, or live long enough to become Gen Z’s swaggering grandfather.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 28 Dec. 2025
Katy Perry was swaggering about in a garish new hat.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 28 Nov. 2025
Oscar Isaac‘s Victor Frankenstein is part 18th-century dandy and part swaggering Swinging Sixties rock star, as if Lord Byron had been genetically spliced with Brian Jones.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
On it, Sombr elevates the bedroom pop of his earlier work, giving it a more muscular, swaggering sound.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
But their tuneful and robust, swaggering rock-and-roll songs were hugely popular and did, in fact, hold up.
—Devon Ivie, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026
With her friend Danielle Siggerud, an architect based in Copenhagen, Calderone and her team at Studio Athena Calderone made respectful updates to the swaggering floor plan.
—Sarah Medford, Architectural Digest, 10 Mar. 2026
During the show’s wildly popular first season, Robby was treated as a swaggering, tortured heartthrob by the viewers who turned this HBO Max original into an Emmy-winning success.
—Esther Zuckerman, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
Dane and the Grey’s writers gradually transformed Mark from a hot, swaggering jerk into a guy loved enough to have the hospital renamed after him (and his equally doomed love, Lexie Grey, played by Chyler Leigh) when the character died.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 20 Feb. 2026
Nor are the stars the coaches, though both the Seahawks’ second-year coach Mike Macdonald and Mike Vrabel in his first with the Patriots have shown their swaggering talent.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
But the dudes can take a victory lap today, celebrating the nomination of Joseph Kosinski’s swaggering, vroom-vroom sports movie.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Decades later, times may have changed, but the appeal of that swaggering style endures.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 20 Jan. 2026
And her co-stars—Jacob Elordi as a brooding Heathcliff, Alison Oliver as an angelic Isabella Linton, Hong Chau as a steely Nelly Dean, and Shazad Latif as a swaggering Edgar Linton—would also be subverting our expectations.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2026
Verb
And Jordan's performances as Smoke and Stack are indeed confident and distinctive, not just in their different sartorial choices but in their mannerisms, with the actor excelling at portraying both Smoke's stoic practicality and Stack's swaggering charm.
—Ken Simmons, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
Two swaggering outlaws roll into a mining town and unleash a wave of cruelty.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026
The timing of such self-reflection was notable, on the direct horizon of an AFC divisional-round matchup against a Bills team that’ll require calls-to-the-wall swaggering from Payton.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2026
This skinny kid from Norman, Oklahoma, swaggering up and down the court.
—Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Die a hero, or live long enough to become Gen Z’s swaggering grandfather.
—Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 28 Dec. 2025
Katy Perry was swaggering about in a garish new hat.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 28 Nov. 2025
Oscar Isaac‘s Victor Frankenstein is part 18th-century dandy and part swaggering Swinging Sixties rock star, as if Lord Byron had been genetically spliced with Brian Jones.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
On it, Sombr elevates the bedroom pop of his earlier work, giving it a more muscular, swaggering sound.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swaggering
Adjective
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The final movement starts off with a timpani riff, which triggers a cocky dance that invokes Peterson’s high-speed fingers, shooting off at Road Runner pace.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Bassel stands at the center of the frame, looking cocky and slightly bored, with his parents seated in front of him and his siblings on either side.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The main house, per Elle Decor, is a 21-room mansion boasting 12 bedrooms, a home theater with room to seat 50, and a wine cellar.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Rising antisemitism Despite boasting one of the largest Jewish populations in the country, Palm Beach County is not spared from the shadow of antisemitism.—
Jessica Tzikas,
Sun Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Noem was the public face of that disapproval, strutting forward with arrogance in the face of public censure, a veritable clown show of ineptitude.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The handbag had just enough space for my phone and wallet inside, and the detachable leather strap gave me the freedom of toting it like a clutch while strutting down Sixth Avenue.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Anyone expecting Draper to be bombastic about his immediate prospects will be disappointed, however.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
-
He was tasked with putting the film into theaters with that bombastic Imax sound.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Evidence was later released showing Border Patrol agents bragging and joking about the shooting.—
Sabrina Franza,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
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California has regained its bragging-rights ranking as the world’s fourth-largest economy.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Aztecs won 89-86 before an electric home crowd on a night that had 12 ties and 11 lead changes and seemed like five against six sometimes with the way UNLV coach Josh Pastner was prancing around the floor in a suit and tie while the ball was in play.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
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In the album’s most beautiful moments, Triplin makes arpeggios sound like prancing through an earthly paradise and sands off juke’s rough edges to produce rhythms that seem to chug along in the margins of a daydreaming brain.—
Kiana Mickles,
Pitchfork,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The two boastful half-brothers clashed and split.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Over time, some officers showed a boastful disdain for parts of the population they were expected to protect.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Nude, striding statues of young men called kouroi were used both as offerings to the gods and as grave markers.—
Anna Swartwood House,
The Conversation,
2 Mar. 2026
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Mercury is striding into your public 10th house, boosting your visibility and encouraging you to offer updates that show your strengths without oversharing.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swaggering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swaggering. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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