gloat

Gloat is a verb meaning to dwell on one's own success or on someone else's misfortune with smug or malicious pleasure. It can also be used as a noun to refer to such a feeling or to the act of gloating. Phrases commonly used are gloat about something or gloat over something or someone, and over is often preferred when focusing on another's misfortune.

The term carries a negative connotation in most contexts. Gloating implies a self-satisfied, contemptuous attitude and is typically viewed as inappropriate or unsportsmanlike, especially in competitive settings. It is distinct from boasting or bragging, which describe outward self-promotion, often without the pleasure taken in others' suffering.

Etymology of gloat is uncertain; the word appears in English from around the late 16th century. It likely developed from earlier senses related to looking or gazing with a sense of self-satisfaction, but precise origins are unclear.

Common collocations include gloated at/over his rival's defeat, and she gloated about her exam results. The noun form gloat describes this mood or display, as in “his gloat was hard to miss.”

In usage, gloating is discussed in moral and social terms, particularly in media coverage of sports, politics, and personal behavior. Related terms include gloating, smugness, braggadocio, and schadenfreude, the pleasure derived from others' misfortune.