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

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 part that is because it is so representative: grandiloquent and absurd at the same time; the words of a diva, uttered at a time when divas were going out of style.

From New York Times • Jan. 23, 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

In a grandiloquent, newsreel-style voice, the show’s narrator, Westbrook Van Voorhis, began his report: “Today, at the eastern extremity of the state of Pennsylvania, a remarkable construction project is transforming the face of the countryside.”

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove