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
-
The Camino is wise; its lessons come slowly, mile by mile, day by day.—
Daniela Diaz,
Vogue,
8 Mar. 2025
-
Under the management of Gene, Bob, and Ron, the firm’s signature ‘good judgment and wise counsel’ combination gained another component: unparalleled care.—
Ethan Stone,
USA TODAY,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
No brand should be so cocksure as to presume its products are irreplaceable.—
Cate Rubenstein,
Rolling Stone,
11 Jan. 2023
-
Nayeri’s demeanor — usually cocksure — became unhinged.—
Tim Dickinson,
Rolling Stone,
17 Dec. 2022
Adjective
-
Parthenope is inscrutable yet expressive, insolent yet heroic, magnetic yet unattainable, loving yet selfish.—
Mike Miller,
EW.com,
12 Feb. 2025
-
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
-
In addition to the proximity of their restaurants and their sassy couch poses, Ramsay and Vanderpump have also shared the small screen.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
3 Mar. 2025
-
Social media users are escalating the long-simmering battle between Washington and Oregon into an all-out roast session, turning some of the Pacific Northwest's most majestic peaks into the sassiest of rivals.—
Christine Clarridge,
Axios,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
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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Where Whole Lotta Red felt focused in its brazen, punk-imbued approach, Music sprawls with classic Atlanta rap, industrial synths, and electropop.—
Olivier Lafontant,
Pitchfork,
14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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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Her bold and theatrical designs have also been a hit with musicians in particular.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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 22 Mar. 2025.
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