bombastic
[bom-bas-tik]
adjective
(of speech, writing, etc.) high-sounding; high-flown; inflated; pretentious.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
grandiose, rhapsodic, histrionic, aureate, balderdash, declamatory, flowery, fustian, high-flown, highfalutin, inflated, loudmouthed, magniloquent, orotund, ostentatious, overblown, ranting, rhetorical, sonorous, swollen
Nearby words
- bombardier beetle,
- bombardment,
- bombardon,
- bombasine,
- bombast,
- bombax family,
- bombay,
- bombay duck,
- bombay hills,
- bombazine
Also bom·bas·ti·cal.
Origin of bombastic
SYNONYMS FOR bombastic
Synonym study
Bombastic, flowery, pretentious, verbose all describe a use or a user of language more elaborate than is justified by or appropriate to the content being expressed. Bombastic suggests language with a theatricality or staginess of style far too powerful or declamatory for the meaning or sentiment being expressed: a bombastic sermon on the evils of cardplaying. Flowery describes language filled with extravagant images and ornate expressions: a flowery eulogy. Pretentious refers specifically to language that is purposely inflated in an effort to impress: a pretentious essay designed to demonstrate one's sophistication. Verbose characterizes utterances or speakers that use more words than necessary to express an idea: a verbose speech, speaker.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for bombastic
bombastic
1704, "inflated," from bombast + -ic. Meaning "given to bombastic language" is from 1727.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper