2
: having or exhibiting self-importance : arrogant
a pompous politician
3
: relating to or suggestive of pomp or splendor : magnificent
pompously
adverb
pompousness
noun
Synonyms
- arrogant
- assumptive
- bumptious
- cavalier
- chesty
- haughty
- high-and-mighty
- high-handed
- high-hat
- highfalutin
- hifalutin
- huffish
- huffy
- imperious
- important
- lofty
- lordly
- masterful
- overweening
- peremptory
- presuming
- presumptuous
- pretentious
- self-asserting
- self-assertive
- sniffy
- stiff-necked
- supercilious
- superior
- toplofty
- toploftical
- uppish
- uppity
Examples of pompous in a Sentence
So as the pictures of flooded shanties flicker by on cable news, uptight neatnik Midwestern Lutherans and sensitive northeastern urban sophisticates and pompous media grandees on both coasts express shock at the unexpected squalor of the poverty and bafflement over the slovenly corruption of the civic institutions.
—
Rob Long, National Review, 26 Sept. 2005
President Warren Harding was an orator, but his bloviations were an army of pompous phrases moving across the landscape in search of an idea.
—Harold Evans, New York Times Book Review, 11 Nov. 2001
She never allowed her spirit to become, as, say, Henry Adams did, curdled by long exposure to Washington's tawdry and pompous aspects.
—George F. Will, Newsweek, 24 May 1999
She found it difficult to talk about her achievements without sounding pompous.
the pompous waiter served us in the manner of a person doing some poor soul a great favor
Rob Long, National Review, 26 Sept. 2005
President Warren Harding was an orator, but his bloviations were an army of pompous phrases moving across the landscape in search of an idea.
—Harold Evans, New York Times Book Review, 11 Nov. 2001
She never allowed her spirit to become, as, say, Henry Adams did, curdled by long exposure to Washington's tawdry and pompous aspects.
—George F. Will, Newsweek, 24 May 1999
She found it difficult to talk about her achievements without sounding pompous.
the pompous waiter served us in the manner of a person doing some poor soul a great favor
Recent Examples on the Web
Stan would’ve played Joe Alwyn’s role, Harry Lee Van Buren, the pompous son of Guy Pearce’s moneyed industrialist who exploits Adrien Brody’s Jewish-Hungarian architect.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Jan. 2025
What began earlier in Iannucci’s career as simply skewering pompous politicians has matured into an examination of what happens when leaders with feet of mud let their egos make decisions that will change the lives of millions.
—Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 8 Jan. 2025
One night, a Bronze Age army led by the pompous Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston) drives the tribe out of the valley claiming that the primitive Stone Age is over.
—Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025
The disapproval is exemplified by a pompous New Yorker interviewed on the street by young fans.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pompous 
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Jan. 2025
What began earlier in Iannucci’s career as simply skewering pompous politicians has matured into an examination of what happens when leaders with feet of mud let their egos make decisions that will change the lives of millions.
—Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 8 Jan. 2025
One night, a Bronze Age army led by the pompous Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston) drives the tribe out of the valley claiming that the primitive Stone Age is over.
—Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025
The disapproval is exemplified by a pompous New Yorker interviewed on the street by young fans.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pompous
Dictionary Entries Near pompous
Cite this Entry
“Pompous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pompous. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pompous
adjective
pomp·ous
ˈpäm-pəs 
1
: making a show of importance or dignity
a pompous manner
2
: having an overly high opinion of one's importance
a pompous politician
pompously
adverb
pompousness
noun
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