いばりんぼう

also: いばりんぼ · えばりんぼ · えばりんぼう

Meanings

bossy person; braggart; overbearing person

colloquialusually written using kana alone

Colloquial, often used for children or in light teasing. Describes someone who acts self-important, throws their weight around, or boasts excessively.

Kanji

威intimidate, dignity, majesty
張counter for bows & stringed instruments, stretch, spread
坊boy, priest's residence, priest

Related words

威い張ばる
The verb meaning 'to be arrogant' or 'to throw one's weight around'; いばりんぼう is a noun derived from it, describing a person who habitually does this.

Built from

威い張ばる+坊ぼう

Written forms

いばりんぼ
Common colloquial variant, slightly more casual than いばりんぼう.
えばりんぼ
Rare variant; the え reading is less common and may sound dialectal or old-fashioned.
えばりんぼう
Rare variant combining the え reading with the longer ending.
威張りん坊
- いばりんぼう
  Kanji spelling; rarely used in practice, and the reading may not be obvious.
- いばりんぼ
- えばりんぼ
- えばりんぼう

Etymology

Derived from the verb 威張る (いばる, 'to be arrogant') with the colloquial suffix ん坊 (んぼう/んぼ), which often forms playful or teasing nouns for people with a certain trait (compare けちん坊, 食いしん坊). The exact origin of the suffix is uncertain, but it likely comes from 坊 (ぼう, 'boy') with an inserted ん.