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
Still, closers have to be somewhat cocky to succeed in high-pressure situations, and Duran has been excellent on the whole since arriving in Philadelphia.
—
Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
In Bachelorette season 11, Nick crashed the party and once again rubbed the other men (and many viewers) the wrong way in pursuit of Bristowe, whose ultimate pick, Shawn Booth, called him cocky and manipulative to his face.
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2025
Hero Ellen Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) lonely fight for survival gave way to a military mission to vanquish aliens ravaging a human colony; Cameron filled the frame with cocky Marines, boxy space tanks, and an adorable orphan who finds in Ripley a surrogate mother.
—Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
This was for the school’s talent competition, an opportunity for cocky children to show off their talents or, in my case, lack thereof.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocky
Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
In Bachelorette season 11, Nick crashed the party and once again rubbed the other men (and many viewers) the wrong way in pursuit of Bristowe, whose ultimate pick, Shawn Booth, called him cocky and manipulative to his face.
—Laura Bradley, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2025
Hero Ellen Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) lonely fight for survival gave way to a military mission to vanquish aliens ravaging a human colony; Cameron filled the frame with cocky Marines, boxy space tanks, and an adorable orphan who finds in Ripley a surrogate mother.
—Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2025
This was for the school’s talent competition, an opportunity for cocky children to show off their talents or, in my case, lack thereof.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cocky
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cocky
Adjective
-
Documenting positive attributes such as community involvement, steady employment, family support, and other meaningful contributions is also a wise move.—
Virginia La Torre Jeker,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Only humans can weave meaning, create serendipity, and grow wiser through story.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
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
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Blyth plays Cal, a jumpy and cocksure construction manager who is very much the third wheel — or more like the monkey wrench — in the recent couple formed by Leonie and the considerably older Horn.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Beautiful, not perfect; Alex can be rude, insolent, and subject to wild emotional swings and failures of decorum and logic.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Aug. 2025
-
The movie’s startling originality is in its spirit, its insolent ironies.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
This retired firefighter and bomb tech rose from the flames stronger, sassier, and ready to find a spark that lasts.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
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Some cats are playful and sassy— going for the toys, knocking glasses off of tables, spider monkeying their owners from the top of a bookshelf.—
TJ Macias,
Kansas City Star,
1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Would Ballmer try something so brazen?—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
No president before has been so brazen in punishing honesty.—
Dan Perry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
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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Known on the show for her bold Malaysian flavors, the baker regularly posts baking tips and recipes with her audience, and has even spent some time with fellow contestants.—
Jane LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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Carpenter joined a list of bold names like Lady Gaga, Tate McRae, Mariah Carey, and Ricky Martin as the night's performers.—
Mikelle Street,
Them.,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Each time Stern’s contract has come up for renewal, the brash talk show host has helped stoke the rumor mill by talking about the negotiations and even teasing his possible departure.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Sep. 2025
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Unlike the often shy, overly genial guy who used to disappear into the background of Second City ensemble scenes, Johnny was brash, bold, a guy who had the city in his back pocket.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cocky.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cocky. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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