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cocky

cocky

99 4.2
Being too confident and acting proud so other people dislike you
  • adjective
  • /ˈkɑːki/
  • Informal
translation icon : creído
  • He walked into the room with a cocky grin, clearly believing he would win the competition.
  • young and cocky

Darcy, he's he's like a cocky young, young athlete.

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Examples

  • When you get cocky, you get careless.

  • We would expect a job applicant to be excited, enthusiastic, and maybe a little cocky about themselves.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Someone said you seem cocky and too good for everything.

  • You kind of got stuck up and cocky since you got more popular.

  • I'm not cocky, I just love myself.

  • You were cocky, you were arrogant and you had a lot to learn.

  • At the start of the day, they all seem cocky and laid-back.

    Academic text (2011)
  • There's always someone like you, smart, but cocky.

  • Artie stood there with a certain keen and cocky expression on his face.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The way he was so happy trying on those new lederhosen, all prancy and cocky like a little boy.

    Fiction book (1993)

Synonyms

arrogant
vscocky
260 4.5

Behaving as if you are more important or better than other people

is less formal and more about bold informal self-assurance
smug
vscocky
85 5.2

A person who feels too pleased with themselves in a way that annoys others

is more about bold external arrogance rather than quiet self-satisfaction
brash
vscocky
31 6.6

Very confident in a rude, loud way that annoys other people

is more about casual confident swagger rather than only noisy rudeness
conceited
vscocky
24 5.4

Thinking you are much better than other people

is more about bold outward self-assurance than internal high self-opinion
egotistical
vscocky
  • Offensive
24 6.6

Seeing yourself as much more important than other people

is more about outward bold behaviour and public show rather than inward self-focus
stuck-up
vscocky
  • Offensive
22 7.5

A person who thinks they are better than other people

is more about general loud confidence and arrogance rather than snobbishness
overconfident
vscocky
19 5.3

To believe you can do more than you really can

is more about arrogant behaviour and attitude rather than only excess confidence
snooty
vscocky
16 7.4

Acting as if you are better than other people

is more about plain bold confidence and arrogance rather than social snobbery
prideful
vscocky
8 6.1

Feeling or acting as if you are better than other people

is more about bold everyday self-assurance than moral or disdainful superiority
boastful
vscocky
7 3.7

Being too proud of achievements or skills in a way that annoys others

is more about confident behaviour and attitude than simply talking about success
cocksure
vscocky
3 8.2

Being too confident in a proud, annoying way

is general excessive self-assurance rather than only opinion certainty
too big for one's britches
vscocky
  • Informal
3 9.1

Acting more important than you really are

is less specific idiom and more general for bold unjustified self-confidence
overweening
vscocky
  • Formal
2 9.8

Too much pride and confidence that makes people dislike you

is more casual and refers to arrogant confidence without literary tone
swaggering
vscocky
2 7.0

To act very confident and proud to get attention

is less about show and more about simple self-assured attitude
hubristic
vscocky
  • Formal
1 8.4

Being too proud and too sure of yourself so you ignore advice and make bad decisions

is more informal and focuses on bold arrogance not inevitable downfall
egotistic
vscocky
  • Offensive
1 7.2

Thinking you are more important than other people

is more about external confident behaviour rather than centred selfishness
bumptious
vscocky
1 9.9

Too confident and rude in a way that annoys other people

is less old-fashioned and more about everyday overconfidence and boldness
full of oneself
vscocky
  • Informal
6.9

Thinking you are better than other people

is more about casual overconfidence and swagger than steady self-importance
self-conceited
vscocky
7.7

Thinking you are better than other people

is more about loud outward arrogance and overconfidence not only vanity
8.2

Acting more confident and important than you really are

is less idiomatic and more general for loud confident arrogant behaviour

Antonyms

222 2.8

Not proud and not thinking you are better than others

81 2.7

Not thinking you are better than others and not boasting

How Confident

arrogant
260 4.5
cocky
  • Informal
99 4.2
self-assured
11 4.1
confident
715 2.5
insecure
131 3.4

Surface Forms

cocky positive
cockier comparative
cockiest superlative

Morphology

cocky = cock (semi-transparent) = cock + y

Formed from 'cock' + adjectival '-y'; the meaning 'arrogant' is a figurative extension from a rooster's proud/displaying behaviour, so learners may infer it but it's somewhat metaphorical.

Etymology

The word cocky comes from cock meaning 'rooster', because roosters often strut and seem to show off. So, to be cocky is to act like a proud rooster and show too much confidence.