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coxcomb
This term carries a strong pejorative weight when applied to people, evoking an image of superficiality and misplaced pride. It describes a specific type of vanity where the desire for social status is expressed through an exaggerated, often ridiculous, attention to fashion and grooming. It is far more specific than "fool," as it ties the lack of intelligence directly to an obsession with outward appearance.
Historically, the word bridges the gap between a physical object and a personality trait. The transition from the fleshy crest of a bird to a flamboyant hat, and finally to the person wearing such a hat, illustrates how sartorial excess became a shorthand for intellectual vacancy. In modern usage, it is considered archaic or literary, appearing primarily in period dramas or historical novels to denote a fop.
Meanings
Examples
He is nothing more than a preening coxcomb who spends hours before the mirror.
What a ridiculous coxcomb he makes in that velvet coat.
I cannot believe I am expected to dance with such a vain coxcomb.
The courtier wore a stiff coxcomb that added several inches to his height.
He adjusted the lace on his coxcomb before entering the ballroom.
The rooster has a bright red coxcomb that stands tall on its head.
The farmer noted that the coxcomb of the prize rooster was particularly vibrant.