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boastful
/ ˈbəʊstfʊl /
adjective
- tending to boast; characterized by boasting
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Derived Forms
- ˈboastfulness, noun
- ˈboastfully, adverb
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Other Words From
- boastful·ly adverb
- boastful·ness noun
- over·boastful adjective
- over·boastful·ly adverb
- over·boastful·ness noun
- un·boastful adjective
- un·boastful·ly adverb
- un·boastful·ness noun
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Word History and Origins
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Example Sentences
Without attribution, that does sound just a tad boastful, but it may well be true.
Everyone was loudmouthed and boastful — it’s Boston, after all — but also visibly nervous about whether Babe Ruth’s ghost would show up and wreck what seemed like a beautiful team.
Despite boastful claims of archival excavation, the author does not deeply engage the primary source material available in American repositories.
The boastful Soviets had sent their Luna rockets on a world tour.
Most embarrassing, they made boastful claims about their closeness with and influence over all sorts of politicians and government officials.
On video, Raymond Santana was smug, boastful, and nonchalant by turns, vividly reenacting who did what during the rape.
He then regales them, boastful without even the sheen of a humblebrag, with tales of his glittering political career.
Water got trucked in, and CNN arrived on the scene, creating a national embarrassment for normally boastful Texas officials.
The self-promotion, Seelie thinks, is somewhat boastful, and he wonders, is it worth it?
But he couldn't resist adding that it was "difficult to sing," and that "its sentiments are boastful and bloodthirsty."
They heard the boastful war songs of their foes echoing weirdly across the plain.
A moment afterward the Kiowa finished his boastful tale, and received a noisy ovation from his people.
They glared fiercely into the east, and murmured boastful threats against the hated foes in the distant camp.
They lingered a moment or so, shouting boastful threats against the Pawnees.
There would come between me and my page Archie Merridew's pink and boastful face as I had seen him issue from the library door.
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More About Boastful
What does boastful mean?
Boastful is used to describe 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.
Boastful is especially used to describe a person who boasts all the time. It can also be used to describe such claims, as in He made boastful claims about all of the awards he had won.
Boastful people most often boast about themselves—their skills, their possessions, or the things that they have accomplished—but a person can also be boastful about someone else. A parent might be boastful about their child’s accomplishments, for example.
Example: No one has ever actually seen him perform, but that doesn’t stop him from being boastful about how good he is.
Where does boastful come from?
The first records of the word boastful come from around 1300. Its base word, boast, comes from the Middle English bosten, but its ultimate origin is uncertain.
People who are described as boastful are often trying to make their accomplishments or skills seem greater than they actually are. But this isn’t always the case—a person’s boasts may be true. Still, saying that a person is boastful usually means that they are thought to lack humility—that they are too prideful.
Did you know … ?
What are some other forms related to boastful?
- boastfully (adverb)
- boastfulness (noun)
- boast (verb)
What are some synonyms for boastful?
What are some words that share a root or word element with boastful?
What are some words that often get used in discussing boastful?
How is boastful used in real life?
Boastful is almost always used in a negative way to criticize a person for bragging too much.
I know it’s hard to be wrong. Especially when you’ve made a fool out of yourself by being boastful or cocky, but grace is knowing when to resign. Knowing when to show your hand and bow out. Ignorance is choosing anger or malice instead.
— Marjani McCoy (@MSMCCOYSWORLD) December 13, 2020
not to sound boastful, but i just want to say that im really happy with how much i've improved in terms of my layout and background art. i used to despise backgrounds up until last year. i've learned a lot over this summer, and i'm happy with how far i've come this year alone :')
— snowspark ❄️ – BLM (@puckpaints) November 30, 2020
Working 12+ hours a day is not something to be boastful about or to revel in.
It's actually soul destroying, it's unhealthy for your body, if the role is sedentary, it's unhealthy for your mind if the role is isolated.
If it's not any of the above its still immensely draining.
— Never Forget Lekki Toll Gate Massacre 201020 (@KuroFuturist) December 17, 2020
Try using boastful!
Which of the following words could be used to describe someone who is known for being boastful?
A. braggadocious
B. prideful
C. conceited
D. all of the above
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