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braggart

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A person who boasts excessively about abilities or achievements.

Detailed Definition
The braggart is a classical comic type inherited by English poetry, representing hollow pride and self-deception. Poets used the figure to puncture false heroism and expose the gap between words and deeds. Braggarts often function as moral lessons, reinforcing values of humility, restraint, and genuine merit through ridicule.
Example
Example in poetry:
The braggart swore his arm had won the war, though none had seen him fight; Poets love the braggart’s thunderous claims that crack at first reply; Each braggart builds his fame of air and noise, a castle doomed to fall; The verse strips bare the braggart’s lies with quiet, patient truth
Additional Notes
The braggart is a classical comic figure inherited from Roman satire and Renaissance drama. In poetry, braggarts expose the gap between words and deeds, making them ideal for moral instruction and ridicule. The term often appears in heroic or martial contexts, where boasting undermines genuine courage. Poets use braggart to affirm values of humility, action, and inner worth over noisy self-praise.
Also Known As
Boaster Gascon Vaunter
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