Boaster

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈboʊstɚ/

Definitions

1. Someone who talks proudly about their achievements or possessions to impress others
2. An individual who exaggerates their own qualities or accomplishments in speech
3. A person prone to showing off by speaking with excessive pride about themselves

Etymology: The word is a plain formation: "boast" with the agent suffix "-er," meaning one who does the action. The suffix itself has a long pedigree, passing through Latin "-arius" into Old French "-ier," which is why English speakers have used it to build so many words for people, from "baker" to "walker." The Old English ending "-ere" that appeared in native words came through the same ancestral line, so "boaster" is less a new coinage than an ordinary English word built from an old and productive tool. The more interesting question is how the base, "boast," arrived at its sense of self-praise. The verb itself came into Middle English with the sense of making a loud, proud claim, and the boaster is simply the person who keeps making such claims. The noun does not carry the older, more physical overtones of its relatives, so the pride-in-speech meaning is the one that has stayed with it.

Synonyms: braggart, show-off

Antonyms: humble person