Braggadocio

(pronounced brag-uh-doh-shee-oh or brag-uh-doh-shoh) noun

Definition

1. a braggart. 2. loud, empty boasting or bragging; pretentious behavior; cockiness; swagger. [From the vainglorious character named Braggadocchio in Edmund Spenser's 1590 novel “Faerie Queene.”]

Main Example

The American public's usage or consciousness of the word braggadocio has been on a relatively low key in recent years. But, on a Republican debate night last year (Sept. 16, to be precise), the word reentered the mainstream lexicon and its Google searches hit the stratosphere after Carly Fiorina, who knows a thing or two about how to harness the power of the English language, said this of fellow White House hopeful Donald Trump: “Leadership isn't about braggadocio.”

Workplace Examples

I believe all that show of defiance during the meeting by our new manager Matt, when he said he will vigorously protest the new rules from HR, is only a façade...just braggadocio. I've gathered from people who know Matt well that he is pretty timid when meeting with executives and senior managers.
On yesterday's evening news, I heard Ted Cruz use the word “braggadocious” while attacking Trump during a press conference in Indiana. His actual words were “a braggadocious arrogant buffoon.” Well, there is no such word in the dictionary! Of course, I endorse this new word coined by Cruz, whose command of the language is second to none. We should have an adjective derived from the wonderful noun braggadocio. Don't you think?

Other Examples

this author saying during a speech: “I came across a great quote by the Mexican writer F. Gonzalez-Crussi in the New York Times talking about the futility of braggadocio. It says ‘Honesty and frankness do more for the public's confidence in the medical profession than extravagant boasting...'”
a colleague remarking: “When it comes to self-promotion, boasting, and things like that, Cathy is pretty extreme! I don't believe I've ever had a conversation with her during which the braggadocio in her didn't rear its ugly head.”
some of our greatest military commanders who were known for their occasional braggadocio--most notably, Gen. Patton and Gen. MacArthur
the highly publicized “Workers' Party Congress” in North Korea, which was held in early May, 2016--the first such forum in 36 years--serving as a vehicle for its young leader's braggadocio: addressing thousands of party faithful in a gargantuan hall, Kim Jong-un bragged about the nation's recent detonation of a hydrogen bomb and various missile tests