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Synonyms

magniloquent

American  
[mag-nil-uh-kwuhnt] / mægˈnɪl ə kwənt /

adjective

  1. speaking or expressed in a lofty or grandiose style; pompous; bombastic; boastful.


magniloquent British  
/ mæɡˈnɪləkwənt /

adjective

  1. (of speech) lofty in style; grandiloquent

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of magniloquent

1650–60; back formation from Latin magniloquentia elevated language, equivalent to magniloqu ( us ) speaking grandly ( magni- magni- + loqu ( ī ) to speak + -us adj. suffix) + -entia -ence

Explanation

If you want to impress people, you might try using magniloquent language. That is, fancy and flowery language. For instance, you could use the word magniloquent, which come to think of it, is a magniloquent word itself. Magniloquent may remind you of the word eloquent, which describes a way of speaking that is articulate, persuasive, and carefully chosen. Magniloquent shares the Latin root loqui, “speak,” with eloquent and also describes a way of speaking. However, magniloquent describes speech that sounds very intelligent and important, but may in fact have little substance. Another adjective that sounds similar and conveys the same meaning is grandiloquent. Other synonyms include bombastic, pompous, and highfalutin.

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Vocabulary lists containing magniloquent

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.

Boris Johnson has long spun political gold from his magniloquent tongue, using what some linguists and observers say bombastic language, esoteric vocabulary, occasional crudity and episodes of bumbling bluster.

From Reuters • Jul. 23, 2019

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with the Revolution succeeded by the reign of Napoleon, that meant history painting: magniloquent tableaus — battles, shipwrecks, coronations — in which myth and reality met.

From New York Times • Jan. 24, 2013

But he does most of his work in the faded, 95-year-old governor's mansion, as magniloquent and dated as an 1845 oration, at the edge of downtown Springfield.

From Time Magazine Archive

They are completely unlike Rubens' magniloquent blond wardrobes.

From Time Magazine Archive

There are others that enunciate grand sentiments, high sounding and magniloquent, the very music and resonance of their words imparting a warm glow within them.

From Davenport Dunn, Volume 2 (of 2) A Man Of Our Day by Lever, Charles James

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