English vocabulary · C2
Gloat
/ɡloʊt/ · v.
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When you gloat, you show too much joy at your own win or someone else's bad luck. The way you act can hurt other people.
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Example sentences
- Don't gloat over my lost job.
- He won, then began to gloat.
Word origin and roots
- origin — unknown
Synonyms and nuances
- BOAST — praise your own success (Talk about your success)
- CROW — show loud pride (Show a proud win)
- EXULT — show very great joy (Feel great joy)
Similar words
- boast
- crow
- exult
- revel
- triumph
Lesson notes
When you gloat, you show too much joy at your own win or someone else's bad luck. The way you act can hurt other people.
Related: boast, crow, exult. Use gloat when you enjoy someone else's loss.
Don't gloat over my lost job. He won, then began to gloat.
Gloat has no known origin. It first appeared in English around 1570. That same small smile still stings.