cocky
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cocky¹
- /ˈkɒki/ Canada, UK
- /ˈkɔkɪj/ British, Southern, Standard
- /ˈkɑki/ US
- /ˈkɔki/ Australia
- /ˈkɒki/ New Zealand
- [ˈkɔ̟ki] New Zealand
- /ˈkɔke/ Scotland
Rhymes with -ɒki
Where it comes from
From cock (“male domestic chicken”) + -y (suffix forming adjectives with the sense of ‘having the quality of’).
adjective cockier · cockiest · cockey · cockie
-
Overly confident; arrogant and boastful.
And now I think I may be cocky, / Since fortune has ſmurtl'd on me, / I'm Jenny, an' ye ſhall be Jockie, / 'Tis right we together ſud be; [...]
Similar: airy, arrogant, chesty, authoritarian, biggity, big-headed, blustery, turgescent, boastful, lordly, bombastic, buggish
cocky²
- /ˈkɒki/ Canada, UK
- /ˈkɔkɪj/ British, Southern, Standard
- /ˈkɑki/ US
- /ˈkɔki/ Australia
- /ˈkɒki/ New Zealand
- [ˈkɔ̟ki] New Zealand
- /ˈkɔke/ Scotland
Rhymes with -ɒki
Where it comes from
From cock (“male domestic chicken”) + -y (diminutive suffix).
noun cockies · cockey · cockie
- Used as a term of endearment, originally for a person of either sex, but later primarily for a man. Nay Cocky, Cocky, nay dear Cocky, do not cry, I was but in Jeſt, I was not ifeck [in faith?].
cocky³
- /ˈkɒki/ Canada, UK
- /ˈkɔkɪj/ British, Southern, Standard
- /ˈkɑki/ US
- /ˈkɔki/ Australia
- /ˈkɒki/ New Zealand
- [ˈkɔ̟ki] New Zealand
- /ˈkɔke/ Scotland
Rhymes with -ɒki
Where it comes from
The noun is derived from cock(atoo) + -y (diminutive suffix). The verb is derived from the noun.
noun cockies · cockey · cockie
- A familiar name for a cockatoo. By that time, the white cockatoo—a beautiful bird, as large as a common fowl—would find out the family gathering-place, and waddle along, calling 'Pretty Cocky! Pretty Cocky!' […] Presently, Cocky ruffles his plumage till he looks half as large again as before; he throws his crest, with its double f
- Clipping of cockatoo farmer (“small-scale farmer”); (by extension) any farmer or owner of rural land. 'I'll get down among the cockies along the Lachlan or some of those rivers,' said Mitchell, throwing down his swag beneath a big tree. 'A man stands a better show down there. [...] One cocky I worked for wanted me to stay with him for good. Sorry I didn't. [...']
verb cockies · cockying · cockied · cockey
-
To operate a small-scale farm.
But if we are bigger built than you blokes, I suppose it's 'coz we—most of us—live away from big cities, and everybody goes in for sport an' all that; plenty of ridin' an' walkin' an' swimmin' and football an' hard work. Most of us are off the land, cockeying, and the blokes who come from the cities
Similar: cockatoo
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: assertive, presumptuous, arrogant, pretentious, conceited, stuck-up, proud, ostentatious, self-righteous, cheeky, impudent, insolence, insolent, defiant, sufficient, rude
Translations
Every language
adj overly confident
| Español | arrogante, pedante, chulo, creído, engreído, petulante |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 横柄な ōhei na |
| 中文 | 驕傲 /骄傲 jiāo'ào, 自大 zìdà, 太過自信的 /太过自信的 tàiguò zìxìn de, 臭屁 chòupì |
| Português | arrogante, pretensioso |
| Français | arrogant, suffisant |
| Deutsch | arrogant, frech |
| Italiano | arrogante, impertinente |
| Ελληνικά | ξιπασμένος xipasménos, αναιδής anaidís |
| Русский | зано́счивый zanósčivyj, де́рзкий dérzkij, наха́льный naxálʹnyj, высокоме́рный vysokomérnyj, хвастли́вый xvastlívyj |
| Tiếng Việt | kiêu ngạo, ngạo mạn |
Talk about this word "cocky." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cocky. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cocky. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cocky "cocky." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cocky.Cite this
@misc{cocky_2026,
title = {cocky},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cocky},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
