coxcomb

American  

[koks-kohm] / ˈkɒksˌkoʊm /

noun

1. a conceited, foolish dandy; pretentious fop.

   Synonyms:

   jackanapes, popinjay, dude

2. Archaic. head; pate.

3. Obsolete. cockscomb.

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coxcomb British  

/ ˈkɒksˌkəʊm /

noun

1. a variant spelling of cockscomb

2. archaic a foppish man

3. obsolete the cap, resembling a cock's comb, worn by a jester

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Other Word Forms

• coxcombic adjective
• coxcombical adjective
• coxcombically adverb

Etymology

Origin of coxcomb

First recorded in 1565–75; spelling variant of cockscomb

Example Sentences

Stone, a coxcomb who occasionally texts reporters pictures of outfits he’s particularly proud of, no doubt already has his congressional-testimony suit picked out.

From The New Yorker • May 31, 2017

Johnson had already said of his former friend, “Hawkesworth is grown a coxcomb, and I have done with him”.

From The Guardian • Jan. 13, 2017

And here’s Charles Dickens, a preening coxcomb prepared to spend eternity congratulating himself on his own literary reputation.

From Washington Post • Apr. 5, 2016

Dara Singh, a wrestler who wore the title Rustam-e-Hind, Champion of India, like a bright, brash coxcomb, was an exponent of the Indo-Turkic pehelwani style of wrestling.

From Newsweek • Jul. 16, 2012

Dear Header, Nature has sometimes made a fool; but a coxcomb is always of man’s own making.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole