pompadour

¹ American  

[pom-puh-dawr, -dohr, -door] / ˈpɒm pəˌdɔr, -ˌdoʊr, -ˌdʊər /

noun

1. an arrangement of a man's hair in which it is brushed up high from the forehead.

2. an arrangement of a woman's hair in which it is raised over the forehead in a roll, sometimes over a pad.

3. a pink or crimson color.

4. Textiles.

   1. any fabric, as cotton or silk, having a design of small pink, blue, and sometimes gold flowers or bouquets on a white background.

   2. a fabric of the color pompadour, used for garments.

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Pompadour ² American  

[pom-puh-dawr, -dohr, -door, pawn-pa-door] / ˈpɒm pəˌdɔr, -ˌdoʊr, -ˌdʊər, pɔ̃ paˈdur /

noun

1. Marquise de Jeanne Antoinette Poisson Le Normant d'Étioles, 1721–64, mistress of Louis XV of France.

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Pompadour ¹ British  

/ pɔ̃padur /

noun

1. Marquise de, title of Jeanne Antoinette Poisson. 1721–64, mistress of Louis XV of France (1745–64), whom she greatly influenced

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pompadour ² British  

/ ˈpɒmpəˌdʊə /

noun

1. an early 18th-century hairstyle for women, having the front hair arranged over a pad to give it greater height and bulk

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Etymology

Origin of pompadour

First recorded in 1745–55; named after the Marquise de Pompadour

Explanation

A pompadour is a dramatic hairdo that's swept back from the forehead and worn in a high, rolled style. Elvis Presley was almost as famous for his pompadour as for his music. This iconic hairstyle was originally made popular by a mistress of King Louis XV of France, Madame de Pompadour. Chic 18th-century women wore pompadours, and the style was fashionable again in the late 1800s and then in the 1940s. Movie stars of this last era, from Betty Grable to Bette Davis, frequently sported pompadours. For maximum height, hair would be "ratted," or backcombed, and covered with a swoop of hair on top.

Example Sentences

The report shows images of the judge sitting on the bench while donning an Elvis wig with his signature black pompadour and sunglasses.

From BBC • Nov. 21, 2025

We were close enough that I could smell the pomade coming off that immaculate pompadour.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2025

He looked dapper for his first appearance in a mint green suit and shirt, but donned a blonde pompadour wig and “Death Rock” T-shirt for a second appearance as Beavis with Day’s buck-toothed Butt-Head.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 30, 2024

The “boneco,” as such giant puppets are known in Brazil, wore a bedazzled disco-era turtleneck and suit, with a black pompadour, a la John Travolta in “Saturday Night Fever.”

From New York Times • Feb. 13, 2024

He had straight black hair combed into a pompadour, black eyes, and very pale skin.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

Related Words

• crew cut
• hairdo
• hairstyle