gloat

Everyday

To gloat means to show you are very pleased about your own success or about someone else's bad luck, in a smug and unkind way. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life and sport, gloating is seen as bad manners: being a good winner means not gloating. In stories, a villain who gloats tells the reader they are cruel and proud. Phrases: gloat over, gloat about, no gloating.

Examples

• Do not gloat when you win a game; shake hands instead. tree →
• My brother gloated about beating me at chess all week. tree →
• The villain gloated over the trapped hero. tree →
• She tried not to gloat when her prediction came true. tree →
• It is unkind to gloat when someone gets told off. tree →
• «No gloating!» said the teacher after the quiz. tree →
• The fans gloated after their team won the derby. tree →
• At last this greedy and selfish old woman put down the box by the wayside and opened it carefully, expecting to gloat her eyes on a mine of wealth. tree →

Note

Usually followed by «over» or «about». Gloating is always negative; being happy and proud of a win is fine, gloating is rubbing it in.

In Jewish tradition

To look at someone's misfortune with cruel pleasure. In Psalm 22 enemies stare at the suffering speaker.

Interpretation. The tradition reads Psalm 22 as the cry of one in deep trouble, often linked to Esther and Israel in exile. The enemies who stare are shown as cruel.

Examples

• I may count all my bones; they look and gloat over me. (Writings PSA.22.18, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Usually followed by «over» or «about». Gloating is always negative; being happy and proud of a win is fine, gloating is rubbing it in.