boaster
1 Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does boaster mean? A boaster is someone who is known for boasting—bragging, especially in a way that exaggerates or shows excessive pride about the boaster’s skills, possessions, or accomplishments. The word boast can also be used as a noun to refer to such a claim, as in He was a boaster who was known for his outrageous boasts—like about how he once rode a shark. Boasters most often boast about themselves—their skills, their possessions, or the things that they have accomplished—but a boaster can also boast about someone else. A parent might be called a boaster because they constantly boast about their child’s accomplishments, for example. A boaster can be described as boastful. Example: Don’t be such a boaster—try to have a little humility.
Etymology
Origin of boaster1
Middle English word dating back to 1275–1325; see origin at boast 1, -er 1
Origin of boaster2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He was not a boaster, but it was clear from his pictures—of war, of conflict, of civil unrest—that he was brave.
From The New Yorker • Feb. 8, 2019
Yet despite this density of jokes, Mr. Friedlander — whose stand-up persona is a know-it-all boaster nicknamed the World Champion — never seems like he’s in a rush.
From New York Times • Dec. 4, 2017
Turns out the closeness, once highly anticipated, was now suffocating because the friend was a nonstop talker, boaster, and one-upper.
From Slate • Dec. 29, 2014
Larry Bird is not the first name that comes to mind when thinking of great trash-talkers in history, but he was a stealth boaster.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 1, 2014
There, with those men alone, I will hold Sippar against Gobryas—ay, and Kurush, too, if—" "Many things I have known thee do, Bel-shar-utsur; yet boaster wert thou never before.
From Istar of Babylon A Phantasy by Potter, Margaret Horton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
