What does "coxcombry" mean?

A behaviour or manner that is characteristic of a coxcomb; a foppish behaviour.

What is a synonym for "coxcombry"?

Common synonyms include: chic, conceit, elegance, neatness, sharpness.

Pronounced //ˈkɒkskəmɹɪ//.

//ˈkɒkskəmɹɪ// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A behaviour or manner that is characteristic of a coxcomb; a foppish behaviour. countable, usually
"He was clean shaved; clean shaving is a favorite coxcombry of the deacon class."
2
Behaviour or airs characteristic of a coxcomb; foppishness. uncountable, usually
"His manner was perhaps the more seductive, / Because he ne'er seem'd anxious to seduce; / Nothing affected, studied, or constructive / Of coxcombry or conquest: no abuse / Of his attractions marr'd the fair perspective, / To indicate a Cupidon broke loose, / And seem to say, "Resist us if you can" -- / Which makes a dandy while it spoils a man."

"He was clean shaved; clean shaving is a favorite coxcombry of the deacon class."

From coxcomb + -ry.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.