Vaunt

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /vɔːnt/

Definitions

1. To speak with pride or excessive self-satisfaction about one's achievements ; to openly highlight or display something with pride to attract notice
2. To talk boastfully of one's own qualities or accomplishments ; to draw attention to something by proudly announcing or exaggerating its merits
3. To express oneself with excessive pride or self-praise ; to emphasize or promote something by making it clearly known and admired

Etymology: "Vaunt" arrived in English from Anglo-Norman "vaunter," a variant of Old French "vanter," and its deepest root is the Latin "vānus," meaning "vain" or "empty." The Latin sense of emptiness is still visible in the word: to vaunt was, at heart, to puff oneself up with nothing of substance behind the claim. The same Latin ancestor gave English "vain" and "vanity," so the verb and those more familiar words are close relatives. The verb was adopted into Middle English as "vaunten," and it has kept the boastful sense from the start. Its modern use tends to carry a touch of display, as when someone vaunts a rival product's merits or a team vaunts its record, so the word often implies that the praise is louder than the evidence.

Synonyms: boast, brag, vainglory, exclaim, proclaim

Antonyms: downplay, belittle, deprecate, diminish, disparage