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• pompadour
  pompadour

  noun

  an arrangement of a man's hair in which it is brushed up high from the forehead.
• Pompadour
  Pompadour

  noun

  Marquise de Jeanne Antoinette Poisson Le Normant d'Étioles, 1721–64, mistress of Louis XV of France.

pompadour

¹ American  

[pom-puh-dawr, -dohr, -door] / ˈpɒm pəˌdɔr, -ˌdoʊr, -ˌdʊər /

noun

1. an arrangement of a man's hair in which it is brushed up high from the forehead.

2. an arrangement of a woman's hair in which it is raised over the forehead in a roll, sometimes over a pad.

3. a pink or crimson color.

4. Textiles.

   1. any fabric, as cotton or silk, having a design of small pink, blue, and sometimes gold flowers or bouquets on a white background.

   2. a fabric of the color pompadour, used for garments.

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Pompadour ² American  

[pom-puh-dawr, -dohr, -door, pawn-pa-door] / ˈpɒm pəˌdɔr, -ˌdoʊr, -ˌdʊər, pɔ̃ paˈdur /

noun

1. Marquise de Jeanne Antoinette Poisson Le Normant d'Étioles, 1721–64, mistress of Louis XV of France.

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Pompadour ¹ British  

/ pɔ̃padur /

noun

1. Marquise de, title of Jeanne Antoinette Poisson. 1721–64, mistress of Louis XV of France (1745–64), whom she greatly influenced

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pompadour ² British  

/ ˈpɒmpəˌdʊə /

noun

1. an early 18th-century hairstyle for women, having the front hair arranged over a pad to give it greater height and bulk

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Etymology

Origin of pompadour

First recorded in 1745–55; named after the Marquise de Pompadour

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Explanation

A pompadour is a dramatic hairdo that's swept back from the forehead and worn in a high, rolled style. Elvis Presley was almost as famous for his pompadour as for his music. This iconic hairstyle was originally made popular by a mistress of King Louis XV of France, Madame de Pompadour. Chic 18th-century women wore pompadours, and the style was fashionable again in the late 1800s and then in the 1940s. Movie stars of this last era, from Betty Grable to Bette Davis, frequently sported pompadours. For maximum height, hair would be "ratted," or backcombed, and covered with a swoop of hair on top.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pompadour Pompadour

The report shows images of the judge sitting on the bench while donning an Elvis wig with his signature black pompadour and sunglasses.

From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2025

The pompadour gag has lost its cultural shelf life.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2025

He looked dapper for his first appearance in a mint green suit and shirt, but donned a blonde pompadour wig and “Death Rock” T-shirt for a second appearance as Beavis with Day’s buck-toothed Butt-Head.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 30, 2024

With his icy good looks, rockabilly-esque pompadour and vintage gold-top Gibson guitar, Mr. Walker helped define the look as well as the sound of Killing Joke during its peak in the 1980s and ’90s.

From New York Times ● Dec. 3, 2023

She washed her face and put on make-up, combed and puffed her hair in a loose pompadour.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

The 1759 portrait of Madame de Pompadour by François Boucher is one of the most beautiful examples, richly embodying all of these themes.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2024

Madame de Pompadour, the mistress of Louis XV of France during the 1740s and 1750s, used the color as a signature.

From National Geographic ● Jul. 21, 2023

Another flower holds secrets in its petals to the love story of Louis XV, an obsessive botanist, and his mistress Madame de Pompadour.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 1, 2023

Aided by Madame de Pompadour, the 18th-century French thinker offends Louis XV with a play.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 5, 2021

Nearby ladies cup their hands to each other's ears and whisper and giggle and frown at Astrid Pompadour.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

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