bombastic

Also bom·bas·ti·cal

[bom-bas-tik]

adjective

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

   Synonyms: grandiose, florid, turgid, grandiloquent, pompous

Other Word Forms

• bombastically adverb
• unbombastic adjective
• unbombastically 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

Terry Reid, the bombastic British singer who famously passed on fronting both Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, has died.

From Los Angeles Times

Look no further than the equally bombastic “My Mind Is a Mountain” and “Locked Club,” the menacing “Ecdysis,” the soaring Moreno-powered “I Think About You All the Time,” and the push-and-pull of the methodical “cxz.”

From Los Angeles Times

Sources from his time in the navy saw his "bombastic" exterior as concealing a much more vulnerable and socially awkward figure, whose upbringing had made him unsure how to behave.

From BBC

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine he has gained a reputation for bombastic, anti-Western social media posts.

From BBC

Many of the independent films offer "quiet spaces for reflection" she adds, unlike the bombastic commercial appeal of Bollywood.

From BBC

Related Words

• grandiose 
• histrionic 
• histrionical www.thesaurus.com
• rhapsodic