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
Figure skater Adriana Russo (Madelyn Keys) begins training for the world championships and falls for her new partner, a cocky but talented skater named Brayden Elliot (Cale Ambrozic).
—
Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2026
That album was all about funk, swagger, and celebration, with Mars positioning himself as the lovable, slightly cocky entertainer bringing the good times.
—Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Marty Supreme follows a wildly gifted, unapologetically cocky aspiring table tennis superstar named Marty Mauser (Chalamet), grinding it in Lower Manhattan circa 1952.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026
As a rule, cornerbacks are a cocky bunch and thus good at pressers.
—Kevin Sherrington, Dallas Morning News, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cocky
Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2026
That album was all about funk, swagger, and celebration, with Mars positioning himself as the lovable, slightly cocky entertainer bringing the good times.
—Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Marty Supreme follows a wildly gifted, unapologetically cocky aspiring table tennis superstar named Marty Mauser (Chalamet), grinding it in Lower Manhattan circa 1952.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026
As a rule, cornerbacks are a cocky bunch and thus good at pressers.
—Kevin Sherrington, Dallas Morning News, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cocky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cocky
Adjective
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This show has been so amazing for us, not just friendship-wise and getting so close to each other, but also being a part of something that people love.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
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The sad thing is the Dolphins, in a wise effort to build the trenches during the past two years, have used lots of draft capital (left tackle Patrick Paul was a 2024 second-round pick and left guard Jonah Savaiinaea was a 2025 second-round pick) in that area.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Beane was so cocksure Allen’s solo act would work again that the GM made only minor moves to improve the offense.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Set on a white-run construction site in West Africa, the story follows an edgy foreman anxiously awaiting his bride, whose presence meets resistance from a cocksure engineer clinging to the hyper-masculine status quo.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Malinin’s confidence would be insolent if his acrobatics weren’t so astonishing.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
1 Feb. 2026
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The fox would once have crushed this insolent creature with a swipe of her paw.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
19 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Along the way, Donnie haphazardly recruits, amongst others, Vy, a sassy, loyal, and fiercely independent Aye-Aye; Kiki, a flightless Kakapo parrot and powerhouse of kindness and optimism; and Roman, an overly dramatic Jamaican Funnel-Eared Bat.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
4 Feb. 2026
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This news might come to many fans' surprise—but the sassy, whip-smart, and rebellious feminist Eloise Bridgerton does not stay single.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Or perhaps Raimi is just kicking it back to his more brazen early years as a director.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
-
In a particularly brazen flouting of traffic laws, one Waymo allegedly drove near the students who were disembarking from the bus.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Gemma reluctantly agrees to rebuild her impudent robot in a new body, and the sequel ends with an explosive showdown between Amelia and M3GAN, who nearly dies in a noble attempt to save Gemma and her niece, Cady (Violet McGraw).—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
29 June 2025
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Fortunately, Snow White’s newfound enlightenment does not deny her the possibility of romance, although princes are now strictly off-limits; her love interest here is a fetchingly impudent bandit, Jonathan (Andrew Burnap), who is leading a scrappy rebellion against the Evil Queen.—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But his Rainbow Coalition, a bold alliance of Blacks, Whites, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans and LGBTQ people, helped pave the way for a more progressive Democratic Party.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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The movies that would be honored here, by contrast, were bolder than the Spirits usually go, resulting in a truly independent raft of winners.—
Film Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Individual personalities lean more toward quietly confident rather than brash.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Unlike many of his brash contemporaries, Oscar Piastri is known for his calm demeanor on and off the Formula One track.—
Roman Stubbs,
Washington Post,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cocky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cocky. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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