VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

bombastic

adjective·Advanceddisapproving

Last updated

UK/bɒmˈbæs.tɪk/
US/bɑːmˈbæs.tɪk/
Usage warning: this word is disapproving. It shows a negative opinion, so take care with who and what you use it about.

Meaning

  1. adjectivenot comparable

    Using grand, impressive-sounding words that make little sense or carry little real content.

    Grammar: Describes a style of speech or writing; you say 'a bombastic speech', not 'a bombastic person', unless you mean their words.

    Patterns

    • a bombastic speech
    • bombastic language
    • sound bombastic

    The senator's bombastic speech praised his own courage at great length but proposed nothing.

    I stopped reading the essay because the bombastic style hid the few good ideas it contained.

    He sounds bombastic whenever he tries too hard to impress the committee.

Common combinations

bombastic language
The report was full of bombastic language and short on facts.
a bombastic speech
Her bombastic speech lost the audience within minutes.
sound bombastic
Using long words you don't need can make a simple email sound bombastic.

Synonyms and how they differ

pompous
Pompous can describe both words and behavior; bombastic refers only to an inflated style of speaking or writing.
grandiloquent
A very formal near-synonym for using lofty language; rarer in everyday speech than bombastic.
overblown
Suggests language that is bigger than its subject deserves; bombastic adds a tone of self-importance.
pretentious
Focuses on trying to appear more important or clever than you are; bombastic focuses on the swollen sound of the words.

Opposites

plainmodestunderstated

Word family

bombast noun
Pompous, high-sounding language with little meaning behind it.
bombastically adverb
In a bombastic manner; used chiefly for writing or public speaking.

Commonly confused: bombastic or fantastic? bombastic or arrogant?

bombastic vs fantastic

The endings look and sound similar, but fantastic means extremely good or imaginative, while bombastic criticizes empty grandeur.

bombastic vs arrogant

Learners sometimes use bombastic for rude or conceited behavior; it strictly describes inflated language, not manners.

Practice

The mayor's speech used many grand words but proposed nothing new. Which adjective best describes it?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “bombastic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words