SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS
pompous
adjective
Exaggeratedly self-important or ceremonious.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
Inflated self-importance
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topGrandiloquent and bombastic chiefly describe inflated language. Pompous may describe a person's manner even without overt boasting.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See pompous in use
The pompous introduction made a simple announcement sound like a royal decree.
The actor playing the collector adopted a pompous manner, turning a simple welcome into a long ceremony about the honor of entering his home.
Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.
Synonym reference scope and sources
The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.
How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license