cockier; cockiest
1
: boldly or brashly self-confident
a cocky young actor
he is invariably a smug and cocky stuffed shirt—
James Thurber
James Thurber2
: jaunty
Synonyms
Examples of cocky in a Sentence
Don't get too cocky about your chances of getting the job.
a cocky young actor who thought that he was God's gift to the theater
Recent Examples on the Web
He is seen as cocky and hot tempered but later changes his ways during the course of the film.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 26 Mar. 2024
His costar Christopher McDonald, who played Sandler's cocky rival Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore, said in a recent interview that a sequel to the 1996 golf comedy is in the works.
—Dustin Nelson, EW.com, 22 Mar. 2024
Starring alongside the impressive stunt team in The Fall Guy are Hannah Waddingham as a movie producer, Winston Duke as a stunt coordinator, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as a cocky leading man — who disappears, setting off the events of the story — and Stephanie Hsu as his beleaguered assistant.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024
At the time, this probably sounded like a cocky boast from a delusional madman.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024
This restraint is undercut by one of his generals, the cocky Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano), who, despite his sadism as an executioner, comes across as the series’ most believable character for his blithe self-interest and transparent scheming.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024
Culkin reprised his role as Roman Roy in the final season of Succession, portraying the typically cocky character's descent into a battered place both physically and emotionally.
—Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024
Some older musicians refused to play for him, finding his manner too cocky and Westernized.
—Tim Page, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024
And not to be cocky here, but my name came up a lot, and also Cameron's name came up a lot.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 29 Sep. 2023
Okla Jones, Essence, 26 Mar. 2024
His costar Christopher McDonald, who played Sandler's cocky rival Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore, said in a recent interview that a sequel to the 1996 golf comedy is in the works.
—Dustin Nelson, EW.com, 22 Mar. 2024
Starring alongside the impressive stunt team in The Fall Guy are Hannah Waddingham as a movie producer, Winston Duke as a stunt coordinator, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as a cocky leading man — who disappears, setting off the events of the story — and Stephanie Hsu as his beleaguered assistant.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024
At the time, this probably sounded like a cocky boast from a delusional madman.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024
This restraint is undercut by one of his generals, the cocky Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano), who, despite his sadism as an executioner, comes across as the series’ most believable character for his blithe self-interest and transparent scheming.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024
Culkin reprised his role as Roman Roy in the final season of Succession, portraying the typically cocky character's descent into a battered place both physically and emotionally.
—Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024
Some older musicians refused to play for him, finding his manner too cocky and Westernized.
—Tim Page, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024
And not to be cocky here, but my name came up a lot, and also Cameron's name came up a lot.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 29 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cocky.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cocky
Cite this Entry
“Cocky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cocky. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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