braggadocio

American  

[brag-uh-doh-shee-oh] / ˌbræg əˈdoʊ ʃiˌoʊ /

noun

plural

braggadocios

1. empty boasting; bragging.

2. a boasting person; braggart.

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braggadocio British  

/ ˌbræɡəˈdəʊtʃɪˌəʊ /

noun

1. vain empty boasting

2. a person who boasts; braggart

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Other Word Forms

• braggadocian adjective

Etymology

Origin of braggadocio

After Braggadocchio, boastful character in Spenser's Faerie Queene (1590), apparently a pseudo-Italian coinage based on brag

Explanation

Braggadocio means not only bragging, but bragging about something that’s not true. When your friend boasts of a private yacht, ten personal servants, and nightly caviar dinners, that’s braggadocio, unless he happens to live on the French Riviera. Braggadocio comes from the word brag, but saves you the trouble of calling someone's bragging a lie by giving you one word that does both. You might say that the new guy at work who keeps telling stories about his heroic genius for fixing any computer is full of braggadocio — since when you asked him for help with yours, he had no idea what to do.

Example Sentences

But the most likely outcome is that people will brush these warnings aside and answer them with braggadocio of the type “America is not for sale.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2025

Oracle’s ups and downs reflect his unparalleled vision and singular skill set, as well as his braggadocio and blind spots.

From Barron's • Oct. 10, 2025

This latest combination of vanity whining and braggadocio bombast was greeted from Congress, members of his staff, reporters and members of the general public with mostly wide, tired stares.

From Salon • Jun. 26, 2025

The letter mingled braggadocio, grievance and therapeutic platitudes.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2024

A few of the officers dawdled after their lesson, enjoying Mr. Turner's foining and the free exchange of youthful braggadocio.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson