Definition
A person who makes empty boasts or loud, showy displays; a braggart or blusterer.
Etymology
From Spanish fanfarrón, possibly from Italian fanfarone or from onomatopoetic roots imitating loud noise and speech combined. The word entered English through contact with Spanish and Italian cultures.
Kelly Says
A fanfaron is someone who sounds impressive but delivers nothing—it's the person who talks about how rich they'll be someday but never actually does anything, and the word itself mimics that empty noise.
Translations
ARالعربية
مُتَكَبِّر
mu-ta-kab-bir
CACatalà
fanfaron
fan-fa-ron
DADansk
fanfaron
fan-fa-ron
DEDeutsch
Prahlhans
prahl-hans
ELΕλληνικά
παραμυθάς
para-my-thas
ESEspañol
fanfarrón
fan-fa-ron
FAفارسی
خودپسند
kho-d-pas-and
FRFrançais
fanfaron
fɑ̃fʁɑʁɔ̃
HUMagyar
fanfaron
fan-fa-ron
IDBahasa Indonesia
pamer
pa-mer
ITItaliano
fanfaron
fan-fa-ron
KKKK
көңілсіз
ko-ng-i-l-siz
KMKM
អ្នកប្រាប់
a-nək pra-ap
KO한국어
자랑하는 사람
ja-rang-ha-neun sa-ram
MSBahasa Melayu
pamer
pa-mer
MYမြန်မာ
ကြွယ်ကြွယ်
kya-wye-kya-wye
NLNederlands
fanfaron
fan-fa-ron
NONorsk
fanfaron
fan-fa-ron
PLPolski
fanfaron
fan-fa-ron
PTPortuguês
fanfarrão
fan-far-ra-o
RORomână
fanfaron
fan-fa-ron
RUРусский
хвастливый
khvastlivyy
SVSvenska
fanfaron
fan-fa-ron
SWKiswahili
mjanja
mjan-ja
TAதமிழ்
கொண்டாட்டம்
kon-da-tta-m
TEతెలుగు
గర్వంగా
gar-va-nga
TRTürkçe
fanfaron
fan-fa-ron
UKУкраїнська
хвастливий
khvastlivyy
URاردو
بہت بڑا
beh-t ba-ra
VITiếng Việt
kiêu căng
kieu-cang
ZH中文
吹牛的人
chuī niú de rén
ZUZU
umuntu omuhle
oo-mu-ntu oo-muh-le
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
From French 'fanfaron' (braggart), carrying male-coded boastfulness. Historical usage associated rowdiness and masculine bravado with public speech authority.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'boaster' or 'braggart' neutrally, or specify behavior rather than gendered personality type.
Inclusive Alternatives
["boaster","braggart","show-off"]