pomp
Americannoun
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stately or splendid display; splendor; magnificence.
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ostentatious or vain display, especially of dignity or importance.
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pomps, pompous displays, actions, or things.
The official was accompanied by all the pomps of his high position.
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Archaic. a stately or splendid procession; pageant.
noun
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stately or magnificent display; ceremonial splendour
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vain display, esp of dignity or importance
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obsolete a procession or pageant
Usage
What are other ways to say pomp?
Pomp refers to stately or splendid display, or to display that is ostentatious or vain. When should you use pomp over show, display, or ostentation? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pomp
1275–1325; Middle English < Latin pompa display, parade, procession < Greek pompḗ originally, a sending, akin to pémpein to send
Explanation
Pomp is a ceremonial display, such as you'd find at the Independence Day parade in your town, where brass bands and men and women in full military dress march to patriotic songs, while citizens wave flags and cheer. Graduation ceremonies — with gowns, invocations, speeches, and the ceremonial conferring of degrees — are full of pomp. In fact, graduates traditionally march to a tune called "Pomp and Circumstance." Pomp used to be much more closely linked to the word pompous, or self-important, than it is now — an archaic meaning of pomp is over the top, ostentatious or vain.
Vocabulary lists containing pomp
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Great Gatsby
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Othello
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Beneath the pomp and bonhomie there are significant differences in what the two sides want to get out of the summit and how they perceive the U.S.-China relationship writ large.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
I love the pomp and circumstance, so I know it’s just going to be an exciting time all around.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
The surprising revelation was part of a torrent of flattery, pomp and circumstance unleashed by Trump as Charles and Queen Camilla visited the White House.
From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026
However, the pomp and circumstance of the signing, as well as the limited material consequences of the order has left those working for psychedelic reform divided on how to think about it.
From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026
Normally, the Day of Sacrifice came and went with all the pomp and gravity that it ought.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
