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Synonyms

cocky

1 American  
[kok-ee] / ˈkɒk i /

adjective

cockier, cockiest

  1. arrogant; pertly self-assertive; conceited;

    He walked in with a cocky air.
cocky 2 American  
[kok-ee] / ˈkɒk i /

noun

plural

cockies

  1. Australian.

    1. cockatoo.

    2. cockatoo.

  2. cockatiel.

cocky 3 American  
[kok-ee] / ˈkɒk i /

verb (used without object)

Newfoundland.
cockied, cockying

  1. copy.

cocky 1 British  
/ ˈkɒkɪ /

noun

  1. short for cockatoo

  2. a farmer whose farm is regarded as small or of little account

"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
cocky 2 British  
/ ˈkɒkɪ /

adjective

  1. excessively proud of oneself

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of cocky1

First recorded in 1540–50; cock 1 + -y 1

Origin of cocky2

First recorded in 1830–40; cock(atoo), cock(atiel) + -y 2

Origin of cocky3

Apparently a playful alteration, by association with cocky 1

Explanation

Cocky means "overly self-confident," like a cocky announcement at the beginning of the season that your soccer team will win the championship without even trying. Cocky originally meant "lecherous," or lustful, but evolved to mean "arrogantly pert" in the 1700s. Cocky people don't usually stop at bragging about themselves — they'll cut you in line at the grocery store, because they think they are too important to wait. Synonyms for cocky are conceited, egotistical, and the phrase "full of himself/herself."

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

AI was already used with Kilmer so he could again play one of his most iconic roles, the cocky pilot Iceman, in the 2022 sequel to the era-defining 1980s hit "Top Gun."

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

Bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny was powerful as Kurwenal, his cocky sarcasm of Act 1 giving way to the caretaker’s forced optimism in Act 3.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

Egypt is self-assured and funny, cocky in a clear-eyed way.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2025

Vitello earned a reputation as a brash, fiery leader with unmatched people skills whose teams toed the line between confident and cocky.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025

He wasn’t cocky, but he had a stubborn streak of pride.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.