pomposity

American  

[pom-pos-i-tee] / pɒmˈpɒs ɪ ti /

Also pompousness

noun

plural

pomposities

1. the quality of being pompous.

2. pompous parading of dignity or importance.

3. an instance of being pompous, as by ostentatious loftiness of language, manner, or behavior.

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pomposity British  

/ pɒmˈpɒsɪtɪ /

noun

1. vain or ostentatious display of dignity or importance

2. the quality of being pompous

3. ostentatiously lofty style, language, etc

4. a pompous action, remark, etc

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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."

Example Sentences

They won us over with their mild pomposity and aloofness, whereas Rapaport’s annoyance wreaks collateral damage like a chronically unbathed person’s odor assails bystanders.

From Salon • Jan. 15, 2026

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

Don Wright, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist whose pointed work punctured duplicity and pomposity and resonated with common-sense readers, died on March 24 at his home in Palm Beach, Fla. He was 90.

From New York Times • Apr. 13, 2024

“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

His first Gymnopedie of 1888, as well as sounding like a long, hot afternoon in the Midi after a liquid lunch, can be seen as a deliberate attempt to debunk pomposity and de-clutter music.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• pretension