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
Stringing episodes together, screenwriter Anderson (working from a story co-created by Roman Coppola) treats Korda as a cocky survivor of fabulous riches.
—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2025
He’s joined by elder statesman Randall (Steve Carell), idealistic AI expert Jeff (Ramy Youssef) and the richest of them all: Ven (Cory Michael Smith), a clear Elon Musk analogue who rules over his social media empire with a cocky bravado.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 2 June 2025
Te actor stars as Daniel Kaffee, the cocky lieutenant junior grade naval attorney who reluctantly defends two Marines (Wolfgang Bodison and James Marshall) accused of murdering their fellow officer at Guantanamo Bay.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 24 May 2025
The cocky Ukrainian is constantly boasting of his conquests with women, which intrigues Enzo, who has a girlfriend of his own.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 14 May 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.
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2025
He’s joined by elder statesman Randall (Steve Carell), idealistic AI expert Jeff (Ramy Youssef) and the richest of them all: Ven (Cory Michael Smith), a clear Elon Musk analogue who rules over his social media empire with a cocky bravado.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 2 June 2025
Te actor stars as Daniel Kaffee, the cocky lieutenant junior grade naval attorney who reluctantly defends two Marines (Wolfgang Bodison and James Marshall) accused of murdering their fellow officer at Guantanamo Bay.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 24 May 2025
The cocky Ukrainian is constantly boasting of his conquests with women, which intrigues Enzo, who has a girlfriend of his own.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 14 May 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 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share