What does coxcombical mean?
Coxcombical is an adjective describing someone who is vainly and foolishly showy about their appearance, dress, or manners — in short, foppish. It derives from "coxcomb," originally meaning a fool or vain, self-conceited person, a term rooted in the resemblance between such men and the jaunty crest of a rooster (the cock's comb), which jesters once wore as ornament on their caps. To call a person coxcombical is to mock them as a preening, superficial dandy more concerned with being admired than with substance. The word belongs chiefly to literary and historical registers, appearing in satire, period fiction, and critiques of aristocratic excess, and it now sounds distinctly old-fashioned in everyday speech. Its connotation is always derogatory and faintly comic: a coxcombical figure struts, dresses ostentatiously, and takes himself far too seriously. Writers reach for it precisely because of this flavor — it conjures powdered wigs, lace cuffs, and empty vanity in a single stroke.
adjectiveCharacteristic of or befitting a coxcomb; vainly and foolishly ostentatious about one's dress, manners, or appearance; foppish.
- Vainly ostentatious in dress or behavior; foppish.
- Foolishly conceited or self-important.
"He cut a coxcombical figure in his lace cuffs and powdered wig, preening before every mirror he passed."
"His coxcombical devotion to his own reflection made him a laughingstock at court."
"She dismissed the young poet's coxcombical airs as mere posturing."
A coxcombical man owes his reputation to a rooster's comb — the jaunty red crest that 16th-century fools wore on their caps to match their own vanity.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of coxcombical
Coxcombical derives from "coxcomb" plus the adjectival suffix "-ical." The noun "coxcomb" arose in the sixteenth century, first denoting a fool's cap adorned with a cock's comb, then transferring to the wearer — a fool, and by extension a vain, conceited fop. The underlying image is the rooster's comb, from Old English "cocc" (cock, male bird) combined with "comb." English thus built both "coxcomb" and its derivative "coxcombical" natively from Germanic stock, rather than borrowing them from Latin or French.
Related word forms
How coxcombical is actually used
A literary and somewhat archaic adjective, most often found in historical fiction, satire, and criticism of 18th–19th-century manners. It carries an unambiguously mocking, derogatory connotation.
Easily confused with coxcombical
Comedic means relating to comedy or humor, whereas coxcombical describes a foppish, vain manner derived from 'coxcomb'.