definitions

cocky

1
[ kok-ee ]
/ ˈkɒk i /
|
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adjective, cock·i·er, cock·i·est.

arrogant; pertly self-assertive; conceited: He walked in with a cocky air.

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RELATED WORDS

brash, self-confident, presumptuous, confident, overconfident, arrogant, bumptious, certain, cocksure, conceited, know-it-all, lordly, nervy, overweening, positive, sure, vain, egotistical, smarty, hotshot

Nearby words

cocktail sauce, cocktail stick, cocktail table, cockteaser, cockup, cocky, cocky's joy, cockyleeky, coco, coco de mer, coco-de-mer

Origin of cocky

1
First recorded in 1540–50; cock1 + -y1
Related formscock·i·ly, adverbcock·i·ness, noun

Definition for cocky (2 of 3)

cocky

2
[ kok-ee ]
/ ˈkɒk i /

noun, plural cock·ies.

Australian.
  1. cockatoo(def 1).
  2. cockatoo(def 2a).
cockatiel.

Origin of cocky

2
First recorded in 1885–90; cock(atoo), cock(atiel) + -y2

Definition for cocky (3 of 3)

cocky

3
[ kok-ee ]
/ ˈkɒk i /

verb (used without object), cock·ied, cock·y·ing. Newfoundland.

copy(def 19).

Origin of cocky

3
apparently a playful alteration, by association with cocky1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cocky

British Dictionary definitions for cocky (1 of 2)

cocky

1
/ (ˈkɒkɪ) /

adjective cockier or cockiest

excessively proud of oneself
Derived Formscockily, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for cocky (2 of 2)

cocky

2
/ (ˈkɒkɪ) /

noun plural cockies Australian informal

short for cockatoo (def. 2)
a farmer whose farm is regarded as small or of little account
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cocky

cocky

adj.

"arrogantly pert," 1768; originally "lecherous" (1540s); from cock (n.1) + -y (2). Related: Cockiness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper