boastfulness

IPA/ˈbəʊst.fəl.nəs/
IPA/ˈboʊst.fəl.nəs/

boastfulness — noun

1. the habit of speaking too proudly about your own success, abilities, or possessi

1.nounC2
Definition

the habit of speaking too proudly about your own success, abilities, or possessions

Example

Devika's boastfulness after the exam made her study group go quiet.

someone's boastfulness affecting other people

The coach warned Otis that boastfulness would upset teammates before the final.

boastfulness would upset teammates

Common collocations
  • open boastfulness
  • boastfulness about money
  • a tone of boastfulness
  • childish boastfulness
Synonyms
  • bragging

    very close in meaning, often focusing more on the act of talking than on a lasting quality

  • conceit

    stresses an inflated opinion of yourself, even when you are not speaking

  • self-importance

    suggests acting as if your importance is greater than it really is

Antonyms
  • modesty

    means not drawing attention to your own success

  • humility

    stronger than modesty and emphasizes a lack of self-importance

Grammar Patterns

someone's boastfulness

boastfulness about [achievement/possession]

boastfulness + annoyed/offended + someone

Usage Note

Usually negative. It often appears with about + noun when you name the thing the person keeps praising, and it suggests showing off rather than simply feeling pleased.

Common Mistakes

Her boastfulness on the prize annoyed everyone.
Her boastfulness about the prize annoyed everyone.
use 'about' when naming what the person keeps praising.
His boastfulness just means he was happy about winning.
His pride in winning just means he was happy about winning.
'boastfulness' is negative and suggests showing off, not simple satisfaction.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Boastfulness, bragging, conceit, arrogance, and pride all relate to how people think or talk about themselves, but they focus on different things. 'Boastfulness' is the quality of speaking too proudly about your own success, possessions, or ability, especially in a way that annoys other people. 'Bragging' is very close, but it more often names the act itself. 'Conceit' points to an inflated opinion of yourself even when you are not talking. 'Arrogance' is broader and colder, often suggesting that the person also looks down on others. 'Pride' can be positive, because it may simply mean healthy satisfaction in something good. If the main idea is showing off by talking about yourself, 'boastfulness' is the best fit.

boastfulness ↗bragging ↗conceit ↗arrogancepride ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a trace of boastfulness
  • boastfulness about success
  • show boastfulness

Prepositions

Etymology

English

This noun was formed in English from 'boastful' and the suffix '-ness'. It names the quality of being boastful, so it keeps the same negative idea of talking too proudly about yourself.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined above