vaunted

vaunted
Audio pronunciation

 
adjective|VAWN-tud
 
What It Means
 
Vaunted describes someone or something that is often spoken of or described as very good or great.
 
// The team’s vaunted defense faltered in the second half of the game.

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Definition
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vaunted
adjective
vaunt·;ed ;v;n-t;d  ;v;n-
Synonyms of vaunted
: highly or widely praised or boasted about
… his own much vaunted ferocity …
—Calvin Tomkins


Did you know?
Vaunted Has Latin Roots

The verb vaunt has been used since the 15th century with the meaning "to make a vain display of one's own worth or attainments"—in other words, "to brag or boast." Over time, vaunt developed the meaning "to boast of (something)," as in "the promotional flier vaunts the natural beauty of the area," and gave rise to the adjectival form vaunted. The history of vaunt and vaunted leads back to the Latin word v;nus, meaning "vain" or "empty." The word vain itself is also a descendant of v;nus.

Examples of vaunted in a Sentence
The team's vaunted defense faltered in the second half of the game.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Many of the world’s most valuable software stocks have seen major selloffs in recent months as investors got jittery and worried about the future of the once-vaunted software-as-a-service (SaaS) business model.
—Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 27 Feb. 2026
The reigning world champion was the only one of American’s vaunted figure skating trio to put herself in contention for gold after the short program on Tuesday night.
—Dave Skretta, Hartford Courant, 17 Feb. 2026
The vaunted plan laid out three distinct public systems, with local community colleges primarily offering two-year associate degrees and serving as transfer launching pads to CSU and the University of California.
—Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
With their vaunted defense, the Seahawks grabbed the Patriots and squeezed them into submission.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026

Word History
Etymology
from past participle of vaunt entry 1

First Known Use
1567, in the meaning defined above