bombastic

[ bom-bas-tik ]

adjective

1. (of speech, writing, etc.) high-sounding; high-flown; inflated; pretentious.

   Synonyms: grandiose, florid, turgid, grandiloquent, pompous

Other Words From

• bom·basti·cal·ly adverb
• unbom·bastic adjective
• unbom·basti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of bombastic¹

First recorded in 1695–1705; bombast + -ic

Synonym Study

Bombastic, flowery, pretentious, verbose all describe a use or a user of language more elaborate than is justified by or appropriate to the content being expressed. Bombastic suggests language with a theatricality or staginess of style far too powerful or declamatory for the meaning or sentiment being expressed: a bombastic sermon on the evils of cardplaying. Flowery describes language filled with extravagant images and ornate expressions: a flowery eulogy. Pretentious refers specifically to language that is purposely inflated in an effort to impress: a pretentious essay designed to demonstrate one's sophistication. Verbose characterizes utterances or speakers that use more words than necessary to express an idea: a verbose speech, speaker.

Example Sentences

His bombastic approach means he has no shortage of enemies, including within his own party.

From BBC

On Saturday, there were a handful of bombastic comments coming from Iranian hardliners, but not from Iranian leaders.

From Los Angeles Times

Tony has hung up his platform shoes to audition for Broadway musicals, scoring a role in a bombastic dance extravaganza.

From Los Angeles Times

As decades of animated Disney movies have taught us, antagonists generally get the best musical numbers, with the freedom to be as egocentric and bombastic as, well, the Joker of the 2019 movie.

From Los Angeles Times

Those bombastic songs are paired with more vulnerable, singer-songwriter tracks like The Hit - a homespun ballad where Gartland describes a friendship so close that “if you get the cut, I feel the sting”.

From BBC

Related Words

• grandiose
• histrionic
• histrionical
• rhapsodic