gloat
UK[ɡləʊt]US[ɡloʊt]
v
To show in an annoying way that you are proud of your own success or happy about someone else's failure.
Etymology
The verb 'gloat' likely originates from a Germanic root, entering English via Old Norse 'glotta', meaning 'to grin scornfully'. It is related to Middle High German 'glotzen', meaning 'to stare', which suggests a core idea of looking at something with intense, often unkind, attention. This etymological journey connects the physical act of staring or grinning to the modern abstract sense of taking malicious or smug pleasure in observing one's own advantage or another's misfortune. The word's meaning narrowed in English to specifically emphasize the offensive aspect of such self-satisfied observation.
Analysis
The word 'gloat' is a simplex word of Germanic origin. It does not contain separable, meaningful morphemes in modern English.
Examples
He tried not to gloat over his rival's defeat.
There's no need to gloat just because you won the game.
She couldn't help but gloat a little when her prediction came true.