Gloat

/ɡloʊt/ verb

Definition

To feel or show smug pleasure or satisfaction, especially about someone else's misfortune or failure.

Etymology

Possibly from Old Norse 'glotta' meaning to grin mockingly. The exact origin is uncertain, but it emerged in the 1500s with the meaning of contemptuous or mocking enjoyment.

Kelly Says

Gloating appears across cultures as a near-universal human behavior after victory—psychologists call this the 'winner effect,' and it's so natural that we need words for it in almost every language.

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