Meanings
present singular third person gloats · participle present gloating · participle past gloated · past gloated · alternative glote · alternative glout
- To exhibit a conspicuous (sometimes malevolent) pleasure or sense of self-satisfaction, often at an adversary's misfortune.
You did well to win the game, but there's no need to gloat about it.
plural gloats · alternative glote · alternative glout
- An act or instance of gloating.
They spun wildly on their heels, jodelling after the accepted manner of a 'gloat,' which is not unremotely allied to the primitive man's song of triumph […]
1899, Rudyard Kipling, Stalky & Co, page 13
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*gʰel-“to shine”
- Proto-Germanic*glutōną“to stare”
- Old English*glotian
- Old Norseglotta“to grin, smile scornfully”
- Middle English*gloten
- Englishgloat
From Middle English *gloten, glouten, from Old Norse glotta (“to grin, smile scornfully”) or Old English *glotian, both from Proto-Germanic *glutōną (“to stare”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰel- (“to shine”), related to dialectal Swedish glotta, glutta (“to peep”), Middle High German glutzen, glotzen (“to stare”), Modern German glotzen (“to gawk, goggle”).
More words from Middle English, Old Norse, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic شَمِتَ
- شَمِتَ (šamita)to exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
Bulgarian злорадствам, злорадство
- злорадствам (zloradstvam)to exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
- злорадство (zloradstvo)an act or instance of gloating
Chinese Cantonese 幸災樂禍 /幸灾乐祸
- 幸災樂禍 /幸灾乐祸 (hang⁶ zoi¹ lok⁶ wo⁶)to exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
Chinese Mandarin 幸災樂禍 /幸灾乐祸
- 幸災樂禍 /幸灾乐祸 (xìngzāilèhuò)to exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
Czech mít škodolibou radost, vychutnávat si
- mít škodolibou radostto exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
- vychutnávat sito triumph, crow, relish, glory, revel
- vychutnat sito triumph, crow, relish, glory, revel
- škodolibá radostan act or instance of gloating
Dutch met wellust bekijken, met duivels vermaak bekijken
- met wellust bekijkento exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
- met duivels vermaak bekijkento exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
- verlustigento exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
Finnish hekumoida, tuntea vahingoniloa
- hekumoidato exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
- tuntea vahingoniloato exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
- hekumoidato triumph, crow, relish, glory, revel
French jubiler
- jubilerto exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
German hämisch freuen, sich weiden
- hämisch freuento exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
- sich weidento exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
- sich diebisch freuento exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
- sich ergötzento exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
- sich brüstento triumph, crow, relish, glory, revel
- großtunto triumph, crow, relish, glory, revel
- angebento triumph, crow, relish, glory, revel
- protzento triumph, crow, relish, glory, revel
- triumphierento triumph, crow, relish, glory, revel
- jubilierento triumph, crow, relish, glory, revel
- frohlockento triumph, crow, relish, glory, revel
- begeistert seinto triumph, crow, relish, glory, revel
- hämische Freudean act or instance of gloating
- Schadenfreudean act or instance of gloating
- Triumphan act or instance of gloating
Hungarian káröröm
- káröröman act or instance of gloating
Italian gongolare
- gongolareto exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
Māori whakakaitoa, muriroa
- whakakaitoato exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
- muriroato exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
Polish napawać się czyimś nieszczęściem
- napawać się czyimś nieszczęściemto exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
Portuguese tripudiar, tripudiação
- tripudiarto exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
- tripudiaçãoan act or instance of gloating
Romanian jubila, triumfa
- jubilato exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
- triumfato triumph, crow, relish, glory, revel
Russian злорадствовать, злора́дство
- злорадствовать (zloradstvovatʹ)to exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
- злора́дство (zlorádstvo)an act or instance of gloating
Slovak škodoradosť
- škodoradosťto exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
Spanish recrearse, regocijarse
- recrearseto exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
- regocijarseto exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
- regodearse (en el mal ajeno)to exhibit a conspicuous sense of self-satisfaction
- recreaciónan act or instance of gloating
- regocijo (en el mal ajeno)an act or instance of gloating
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with gloat
Anagrams
Cite this entry
gloat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gloat
“gloat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gloat. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gloat,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gloat.
Source: gloat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.