gloating

[ gloh-ting ]
See synonyms for gloating on Thesaurus.com
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.

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.”

Origin of gloating

1
First recorded in 1575–85; gloat + -ing1 for the noun; gloat + -ing2 for the adjective

Other words from gloating

  • gloat·ing·ly, adverb
  • un·gloat·ing, adjective

Words Nearby gloating

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gloating in a sentence

  • When Lawrence came to, there were two guerrillas standing gloating over him.

  • Nor could he ever forget standing there in Sergeant McGinty's office while the sergeant did a bit of triumphant gloating.

  • The man only smiled, an evil and gloating smile, which Mr. Gryce thought it his duty to cut short.

    The Circular Study | Anna Katharine Green
  • This he actually forced me to do, gloating over my horror as I removed for him the traces of his cowardly crime.

    The Czar's Spy | William Le Queux
  • Narth leaned forward, his face shining with the malice of his gloating.

    Space Prison | Tom Godwin