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swagger

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To behave in a pompous, superior way.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

swager

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈswæɡɚ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. To behave (especially to walk or carry oneself) in a pompous, superior manner.

  2. To boast or brag noisily; to bluster; to bully.

  3. To walk with a swaying motion.

noun

  1. A bold or arrogant strut.

  2. A prideful boasting or bragging.

  3. Confidence, pride.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C2 · Proficient (estimated)
Frequency
Rare

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A prideful boasting or bragging.

Used this way, swagger is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

swagger stickslight swaggerswagger throughmacho swagger

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • swagger sticknounCompound term

    A short cane or stick covered with leather and carried by army officers.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to behave (especially to walk

sashayRare

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.