grandiloquent

American  

[gran-dil-uh-kwuhnt] / grænˈdɪl ə kwənt /

adjective

1. speaking or expressed in a lofty style, often to the point of being pompous or bombastic.

   Synonyms:

   pretentious, rhetorical, inflated, turgid

   Antonyms:

   sincere, simple

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grandiloquent British  

/ ɡrænˈdɪləkwənt /

adjective

1. inflated, pompous, or bombastic in style or expression

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Other Word Forms

• grandiloquence noun
• grandiloquently adverb

Etymology

Origin of grandiloquent

First recorded in 1585–95; grandiloqu(ence) + -ent

Explanation

Grandiloquent is a fancy term for, well, being fancy or pretentious. In fact, you might say grandiloquent is itself a pretty grandiloquent word. The word grandiloquent generally refers to the way a person behaves or speaks. Politicians and schoolteachers are the usual suspects of this manner of behavior, known as grandiloquence, but it can refer to anything that's overbearing or pompous in style or manner. Architecture, especially, is highly guilty of being grandiloquent — if you check out just about anything built in the Baroque style, you could describe it as grandiloquent.

Example Sentences

Prone to social media outbursts, grandiloquent speeches and public spats, Petro has burned through more than 60 ministers in four years.

From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026

Still, the Jimmy Fallon appearance was a grandiloquent step forward in Peluso’s claim to mainstream recognition.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2025

In charge of that renovation were Philip Johnson and John Burgee — architects of the yet more grandiloquent New York State Theater, across the plaza.

From New York Times • Sep. 29, 2022

But, even in his most grandiloquent moments, he couldn’t have imagined the star treatment that crime novelist James Ellroy had in store for him.

From Washington Post • Jun. 20, 2021

I trim the grandiloquent excesses on this and the other answer before e-mailing them to Amu.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali