swagger

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun an itinerant Australian laborer who carries his personal belongings in a bundle as he travels around in search of work
noun a proud stiff pompous gait
verb to walk with a lofty proud gait, often in an attempt to impress others

A frequentative form of swag (“to sway”), first attested in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595), see quotations.

Derek in his swagger uniform. — Astounding Stories of Super-Science January 1930, Unknown
Swagger young men, some of them, too. — The Boy with Wings, Berta Ruck
And look at the swagger of the man! — The Idiot, Fyodor Dostoyevsky

swagman, swaggie

Type a word, a sentence, a book title, or a link to an English article. WordNet and the Classics answer.

Try

A library of classics · a vault of words · instant etymology & meaning