gloating

American  

[gloh-ting] / ˈgloʊ tɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of looking at or speaking or thinking about something with excessive, usually smug or malicious satisfaction.

   For all our gloating about how progressive we are on issues of race and sexual orientation, we lag behind on some other human rights issues.

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adjective

1. looking at or speaking or thinking about something in this way.

   Asked about the protester's arrest, the mayor said with a gloating smile, "I wish him luck.”

Other Word Forms

• gloatingly adverb
• ungloating adjective

Etymology

Origin of gloating

First recorded in 1575–85; gloat ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun; gloat ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective

Example Sentences

I won’t join in the gloating of some critics at the hundreds who have lost their jobs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

There was no gloating from John about that.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 26, 2024

Three is either a charm or a curse – depending on your point of view – and there are plenty of people gloating or kvetching today.

From Salon • Nov. 7, 2024

Panic and gloating go viral; reality-based exposition doesn’t.

From Slate • May 15, 2024

The more he attempted to focus on the print on the page before him, the more clearly the Prime Minister could see the gloating face of one of his political opponents.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling