Swaggered

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Moved in a proud, self-assured way that shows confidence
2. Walked with an exaggerated, bold stride to display self-importance
3. Strutted with a confident, sometimes cocky, gait to attract attention

Etymology: The past tense of "swagger" is simply "swaggered," so the story belongs to the verb itself. It begins in the sixteenth century, when "swag" meant "to sway" or to move heavily from side to side, the way a hanging weight swings. Adding the "-er" ending gave a frequentative form, one that describes repeated or habitual action, so to swagger was to keep swaying back and forth in a showy way. The word first appears in writing in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1595), which places it firmly in the Elizabethan period. From that starting point, the sense of unsteady swaying gradually gave way to the boastful strut we recognize today, a walk designed to be noticed.

Synonyms: strutted, strolled, sauntered, ambled, pranced

Antonyms: shuffled, tiptoed, crept, slunk, trudged