boastful

adjective

boast·​ful ˈbōst-fəl 

: given to or marked by boasting : expressing excessive self-pride

a vain, boastful man

A few of the … parents are downright boastful about their sons.

—Jane Gross

… journalists who are only too willing to take at face value the boastful pronouncements of the company's publicity department.

—Jeffrey Young

At the highest levels, the administration's response to the crisis has been sluggish, characterized by boastful rhetoric but stagnant funding.

—The Washington Post

boastfully

ˈbōst-fə-lē 

adverb

If her new acquaintance wants to talk about plants, she might mention a few of her own, never boastfully, but with a pleasant tone of surprise, as if her parlor palm and the other person's had coincidentally attended the same high school.

—David Sedaris

Of the confidence reposed in him by Hudig—the master—he was boastfully and obtrusively proud.

—Joseph Conrad

boastfulness noun

Villars' military and diplomatic career under two kings of France was enormously successful, but his boastfulness and cupidity were notorious.

—David Wykes

Examples of boastful in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In my family you were not allowed to be immodest or boastful. —Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2024

This dial color doesn’t compete with the big textures happening on the bezel and the bracelet, while the size keeps everything in manageable proportions, resulting in a watch that feels confident, but not boastful. —Blake Buettner, Robb Report, 21 June 2024

Attorney General Rob Bonta, who sponsored the legislation, was especially boastful. —Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 21 June 2024

Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy rap about their lavish lifestyles and success, with playful, boastful lyrics that reflect the flashy side of Atlanta’s trap scene. —Walaa Elsiddig, Billboard, 17 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above