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

Much the way the bombastic Madden came to appreciate Summerall.

From Los Angeles Times

Openers Phil Salt and Will Jacks combined for 39, but both struggled to unleash their trademark bombastic pinch-hitting and they fell in quick succession, skying catches off the bowling of Jayden Seales.

From BBC

As its title character embarks on a gender transition that whisks her away from her violent drug-dealing past and into a placid domestic future, director Jacques Audiard concocts a dizzying Spanish-language musical whose outward bombastic flair anchors an intimate focus on the inner lives of women in contemporary Mexico.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• grandiose
• histrionic
• histrionical
• rhapsodic