What does vauntery mean?
Vauntery is an uncommon, largely obsolete noun for boastfulness, the habit or practice of praising oneself or making grand claims. It is chiefly associated with formal and literary English and is now encountered mainly in older writing or quotations. The noun normally functions as an uncountable mass noun: one speaks of someone's vauntery rather than counting separate instances, though plural forms such as "vaunteries" can occur when individual boasts are being referred to. Its connotation is more censorious than simple "boasting," often suggesting self-importance, empty display, or excessive pride. "Vaunt" is the related verb, while "vaunter" denotes a person who boasts. The word is valuable chiefly for recognizing the vocabulary of earlier English literature and formal rhetoric, not for ordinary contemporary use.
nounThe quality or habit of boasting; boastfulness.
- The quality or habit of boasting; boastfulness.
"His constant vauntery earned him more ridicule than admiration."
"The courtier's endless vauntery exhausted the king's patience."
"She dismissed his promises as little more than vauntery."
A plural form attested in literary usage, though vauntery is normally uncountable.
"The speech was punctuated by boastful vaunteries."
Vauntery names not a single boast but the habit of making them.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of vauntery
The word entered English from French vanterie, a noun derived from vanter, meaning "to boast." Its English relatives include vaunt, vaunter, and vaunting, all of which preserve the same semantic field of speechmaking and self-praise.
How vauntery is actually used
This is an archaic, literary noun now rarely used in ordinary English. It is generally uncountable, although the plural form occurs in older writing.
Easily confused with vauntery
Vauntery is the noun meaning boastfulness, whereas vaunt is the related verb meaning to boast.