noun
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vain or ostentatious display of dignity or importance
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the quality of being pompous
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ostentatiously lofty style, language, etc
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a pompous action, remark, etc
Etymology
Origin of pomposity
1400–50; late Middle English pomposite < Late Latin pompōsitās. See pompous, -ity
Explanation
The noun pomposity means super-sized self-confidence. A person who thinks he or she is better than every else suffers from pomposity — and everyone in that person's life suffers, too. Pomposity, pronounced "pahm-POSS-ih-tee," isn't just for arrogant people. Things can have this unpleasant quality, too. For example, the pomposity of an award ceremony that presents the winners and judges as the most important people who ever lived will leave viewers cold. Language can also be a victim of pomposity — when someone says, "We dined at our beloved little bistro," another person would say, "We ate at our favorite neighborhood joint."
Vocabulary lists containing pomposity
Oliver Twist
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Absalom, Absalom!
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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.
At this point the reader may wonder why I should even bother to rebuke George Will; in his outmoded pomposity, he makes almost too easy a target.
From Salon • Dec. 20, 2025
Mr. Dirden speaks with a majestic orotundity that evokes a preacher carrying around an invisible pulpit, and exudes a preening pomposity and the requisite vicious abusiveness toward Lucky.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 29, 2025
It sometimes has a humorous suggestion of pomposity or officiousness.
From BBC • Jun. 25, 2025
“There’s so much pomposity in saying ‘legacy’ when I already have a hard enough time accepting any sort of compliments or hearing that my band did anything significant,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 19, 2023
I sat up stiff and straight in my seat with all the poor pomposity of youth.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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.
