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
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
The story itself is stripped to bone and sinew: a sleepy New England beach town that wants tourist dollars more than truth, an invisible killer in plain water, and three men — one scared sheriff, one cocky scientist, one Ahab of a fisherman — set adrift to settle nature’s score.
—Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 19 June 2025
The Pacers—athletic, young, clever, cocky guys with vibes like the youngest brother in a rich exurban family—answered with pesky defense and an approach to basketball that more nearly approximated a sprint-heavy peewee track meet.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 22 May 2025
Eddie greets him with a cocky smile, before taunting and antagonizing him.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 18 May 2025
There’s also a fine array of actors here: Idris makes a fine cocky young upstart.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocky
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 19 June 2025
The Pacers—athletic, young, clever, cocky guys with vibes like the youngest brother in a rich exurban family—answered with pesky defense and an approach to basketball that more nearly approximated a sprint-heavy peewee track meet.
—Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 22 May 2025
Eddie greets him with a cocky smile, before taunting and antagonizing him.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 18 May 2025
There’s also a fine array of actors here: Idris makes a fine cocky young upstart.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocky
Cite this Entry
“Cocky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cocky. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share