magniloquent

American  

[mag-nil-uh-kwuhnt] / mægˈnɪl ə kwənt /

adjective

1. speaking or expressed in a lofty or grandiose style; pompous; bombastic; boastful.

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magniloquent British  

/ mæɡˈnɪləkwənt /

adjective

1. (of speech) lofty in style; grandiloquent

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Other Word Forms

• magniloquence noun
• magniloquently adverb

Etymology

Origin of magniloquent

1650–60; back formation from Latin magniloquentia elevated language, equivalent to magniloqu ( us ) speaking grandly ( magni- magni- + loqu ( ī ) to speak + -us adj. suffix) + -entia -ence

Explanation

If you want to impress people, you might try using magniloquent language. That is, fancy and flowery language. For instance, you could use the word magniloquent, which come to think of it, is a magniloquent word itself. Magniloquent may remind you of the word eloquent, which describes a way of speaking that is articulate, persuasive, and carefully chosen. Magniloquent shares the Latin root loqui, “speak,” with eloquent and also describes a way of speaking. However, magniloquent describes speech that sounds very intelligent and important, but may in fact have little substance. Another adjective that sounds similar and conveys the same meaning is grandiloquent. Other synonyms include bombastic, pompous, and highfalutin.

Example Sentences

Boris Johnson has long spun political gold from his magniloquent tongue, using what some linguists and observers say bombastic language, esoteric vocabulary, occasional crudity and episodes of bumbling bluster.

From Reuters • Jul. 23, 2019

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with the Revolution succeeded by the reign of Napoleon, that meant history painting: magniloquent tableaus — battles, shipwrecks, coronations — in which myth and reality met.

From New York Times • Jan. 24, 2013

"His pages so teem with fine sayings and magniloquent epigrams, gorgeous images, and fantastic locutions," said Critic W. E. Henley, that "the mind would welcome a little dullness as a glad relief."

From Time Magazine Archive

Josef von Sternberg, 49, magniloquent discoverer and first director of Marlene Dietrich; and Jeanne Annette McBride, 21, his brunette ex-secretary; he for the second time; in Hollywood.

From Time Magazine Archive

My feller directors"—the chairman waved a magniloquent hand—"agrees with me that the Rovers can offer you a pound a week because you are promisin', although not justified as you are at present.

From The Sailor by Snaith, J. C.