What's the difference between arrogant and cocky?

Arrogant


Definition:

  • (a.) Making, or having the disposition to make, exorbitant claims of rank or estimation; giving one's self an undue degree of importance; assuming; haughty; -- applied to persons.
  • (a.) Containing arrogance; marked with arrogance; proceeding from undue claims or self-importance; -- applied to things; as, arrogant pretensions or behavior.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) In a poll before the debate, 48% predicted that Merkel, who will become Europe's longest serving leader if re-elected on 22 September, would emerge as the winner of the US-style debate, while 26% favoured Steinbruck, a former finance minister who is known for his quick-wit and rhetorical skills, but sometimes comes across as arrogant.
  • (2) Arrogant, narcissistic, egotistical, brilliant – all of that I can handle in Paul,” Levinson writes.
  • (3) There was a real risk of "judges arrogating to themselves greater power than they have at the moment."
  • (4) It’s the failure of an over-centralised prime ministerial office, too small to have real intellectual and research heft yet arrogant enough to overrule FCO advisers.
  • (5) On Wednesday she declared that if Sir Gideon had sent Chloe Smith unprotected on to Newsnight, then he was "cowardly as well as arrogant".
  • (6) Extensive research among the Afghan National Army – 68 focus groups – and US military personnel alike concluded: "One group sees the other as a bunch of violent, reckless, intrusive, arrogant, self-serving profane, infidel bullies hiding behind high technology; and the other group [the US soldiers] generally views the former as a bunch of cowardly, incompetent, obtuse, thieving, complacent, lazy, pot-smoking, treacherous, and murderous radicals.
  • (7) Standing on stage in Korea, visibly nervous in front of the crowd, he said that “I will not be too comfortable in approaching the challenge, and I will not be too arrogant in my preparation.” But, he added, the company had had only five months to improve the system since its game against Fan Hui.
  • (8) It considers arrogance a key component in its make-up, and trusts the single-minded, as long as they conform to specific local desires.
  • (9) He has that belief and football arrogance and the best teams have that.” Balotelli claimed he made a mistake in returning to Italy from Manchester City in January 2013 and that his experience would help the young players in Rodgers’ team.
  • (10) Israel’s leader epitomizes what Senator J William Fulbright once called “the arrogance of power”.
  • (11) No sufferer of fools, he also found it difficult to put up with what he felt to be the arrogance of some colleagues.
  • (12) You have a secret hope but you like to keep it a secret because it sounds so arrogant to say I can win a medal and then don't get one."
  • (13) It was hard to imagine a more arrogant and self-serving statement, as the people of Tunisia were fighting for their freedom.
  • (14) For many of us, the attitude of the European commission, the ECB, certain European leaders, has been arrogant, dismissive and even anti-democratic,” he said.
  • (15) "The American people themselves have been put at risk by these actions that I believe are arrogant, misguided and ultimately not helpful in any way," he said.
  • (16) Without trying to sound arrogant, hopefully the awards will be an opportunity to talk to our contemporaries as peers, not just a crappy prison project, and say, 'This is what you can do'."
  • (17) Their policy decisions, including increases in the cost of living, the sale of TIO [Territory Insurance Office], savage cuts to health and education and general arrogance has burned public trust in their integrity and competence,” said Snowdon, who called the party “a joke” and said nobody could take the territory seriously now.
  • (18) It was the arrogance of power, written in huge letters.
  • (19) There was also a certain arrogance that comes from being part of an elite that “gets the numbers”, and an entrenched hierarchy meant that predictions weren’t properly scrutinised.
  • (20) To express guarded optimism about the Greek deal is not to condone the provocative arrogance of former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis or the pointless vindictiveness of the German finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble .

Cocky


Definition:

  • (a.) Pert.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The story to me is that Disney and Lucasfilm are acting rationally, confidently and not cocky.” Poor critical reactions to the film may even end up being irrelevant to its opening figures, though Abrams’s flawless track record suggests the film is likely to be well-reviewed.
  • (2) His Guantánamo file, which was among a large cache of documents later passed to WikiLeaks , shows that the camp authorities quickly reached the conclusion that he had no connection with the Taliban or al-Qaida but decided against releasing him because his “timeline has not been fully established”, and because the British diplomats who had seen him at Kandahar had found him to be “cocky and evasive”.
  • (3) In fact, the chancellor’s cockiness may be Corbyn’s best bet.
  • (4) He did not exhibit any of the cockiness of youth, nor youth’s insecurities; instead, he set an example worthy of his position, wise beyond his years, in his speech, in his conduct, in his love, faith and purity.
  • (5) I don't think there's any arrogance or any aw shucks kind of cockiness.
  • (6) Hall might be a scion of one of Britain's most important theatrical dynasties (his father is Peter, his half-sister Rebecca), but the cocky irreverence of his productions showed he had every intention of making his own mark.
  • (7) They don't, I'm one of them and this is the quickest sport in the world to bring you back down to earth again, so there's no room for arrogance or cockiness or thinking you're any better than anyone else, because you ain't."
  • (8) Kimberley's self-assurance – a character trait so lauded in men– has been rebranded as smugness, cockiness and even malice.
  • (9) And there’s a fine line between exuding confidence and looking cocky.
  • (10) A meek-looking O’Reilly is then confronted by his cocky alter ego, who tells him: “What’s wrong, you can’t take it?
  • (11) I passed the test, and may even have felt an infantile cockiness when I started going to meetings.
  • (12) The prime minister, Tony Abbott, told reporters on Friday he was “confident, but not complacent or cocky” about the Liberals’ chances in the byelection.
  • (13) His cockiness, his kind of wit, his geopolitical discourses, his physical poise, are all instruments to this end.
  • (14) But then maybe it's a good thing that City fans aren't too cocky – it's not too long since we were in the doldrums."
  • (15) Last week the prime minister, Tony Abbott, said he was “confident, but not complacent or cocky” about the Liberals’ chances in the byelection.
  • (16) We were 300 young, ambitious, cocky twentysomethings, in the heart of Manhattan with a lot of money at our disposal.
  • (17) 'I was quite cocky back then; I thought I was supersonic.'
  • (18) Corden is still frowning: 'I don't think I came across as a cocky little bugger on Jonathan Ross.'
  • (19) Castigated for being cocky and aloof, Wilson was branded by some as an “AA meeting in cleats” and wound up being one of the most despised athletes in Dallas.
  • (20) By setting me up as a cocky little so-and-so he was basically giving a thumb's up to the snipers, but it backfired (eventually) on the one who shouted, to a huge laugh, "Where are your eyes?"