Literary notes about Cocksure (AI summary)
In literature, the term "cocksure" is frequently employed to depict a kind of swaggering, overconfident attitude that can be as much a flaw as it is a mark of determination. Writers use it to characterize individuals whose assured demeanor often turns into a blithe, sometimes arrogant, belief in their own infallibility [1, 2]. The word may highlight the risky presumption of success or the tendency to dismiss caution—whether in political ambition, as seen when characters assume victory before the contest is even decided [3, 4], or in personal interactions, where their unyielding self-belief both impresses and alienates [5, 6]. In this way, "cocksure" serves as a multifaceted descriptor that layers narrative tone with irony, criticism, or even a hint of self-awareness [7, 8].
- She had known that he was cocksure and domineering.
— from Counsel for the Defense by Leroy Scott - He was thirty, perhaps, in the prime of physical vigor, square-jawed, cocksure, a six-shooter slung at his hip.
— from Over the Pass by Frederick Palmer - The Germans are so cocksure of winning the war that I guess they 'll do that.'
— from The Blue Raider: A Tale of Adventure in the Southern Seas by Herbert Strang - It may have been they were cocksure of their power to score again when they chose.
— from Those Times and These by Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury) Cobb - You got something peculiar––like you had been born a rich swell––I mean you kinda naturally act that way––kinda cocksure of yourself.
— from The Crimson Tide: A Novel by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers - I was strangely cocksure of everything that night.
— from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad - “What I object to is your lofty, cocksure manner of accounting for everything.
— from The River Motor Boat Boys on the Colorado; Or, The Clue in the Rocks by Harry Gordon - He stopped short, a startled look on his face, which disappeared almost at once, to give place to his usual cocksure smile.
— from The Lonely Stronghold by Reynolds, Baillie, Mrs.
