vaunting

[vawn-ting, vahn-]

adjective

having a boastfully proud disposition: a vaunting dictator.

marked by boastful pride: a vaunting air of superiority.

Origin of vaunting

First recorded in 1580–90; vaunt + -ing²

Related formsself-vaunt·ing, adjective

vaunt

[vawnt, vahnt]

verb (used with object)

to speak vaingloriously of; boast of: to vaunt one's achievements.

verb (used without object)

to speak boastfully; brag.

noun

a boastful action or utterance.

Origin of vaunt

1350–1400; Middle English vaunten < Middle French vanter to boast < Late Latin vānitāre, frequentative of *vānāre, derivative of Latin vānus vain. See vanity

Related formsvaunt·er, nounvaunt·ing·ly, adverbout·vaunt, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for vaunting

prate, boast, crow, gasconade, strut, brag, flaunt, display

Examples from the Web for vaunting

Historical Examples of vaunting

Only fancy the Greek vaunting his triumphs or bewailing his defeats in Turkish!'
Lord Kilgobbin
Charles Lever
The savage looked around him with a vaunting air as he uttered these words.
The Scalp Hunters
Mayne Reid
I persuaded you to hope for Lombardy, and without any vaunting of my own patriotism.
Vittoria, Complete
George Meredith
His vaunting proclamations were headed: In the name of Allah.
The Turkish Empire, its Growth and Decay
Lord Eversley
Well they ken it where little they love it with its vaunting!
The Lost Pibroch
Neil Munro

British Dictionary definitions for vaunting

vaunt

verb

(tr) to describe, praise, or display (one's success, possessions, etc) boastfully

(intr) rare, or literary to use boastful language; brag

noun

a boast

archaic ostentatious display

Derived Formsvaunter, noun

Word Origin for vaunt

C14: from Old French vanter, from Late Latin vānitāre to brag, from Latin vānus vain

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 vaunting

vaunt

c.1400, "speak vainly or proudly," from Middle French vanter "to praise, speak highly of," from Late Latin vanitare "to boast," frequentative of Latin vanare "to utter empty words," from vanus "idle, empty" (see vain). Related: Vaunted; vaunting.