vaunting I. noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English, from gerund of vaunten to vaunt : the act of boasting : bragging < make your vaunting true — Shakespeare > II. adjective Etymology: from present participle of vaunt (I) 1.: inclined or given to vainglorious boasting < a vaunting Spaniard — Francis Hackett > 2.: of or characterized by boastfulness < vaunting smile appeared on his lips — Mary McCarthy >