1
as in rhetoric
boastful speech or writing
all the bluster in the campaign speech was intended to hide a lack of specifics
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2
as in roar
loud, confused, and usually inharmonious sound
I can't work with all the bluster in here
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity
a mayor who got things done without a lot of bluster and self-serving publicity
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to huff
to talk loudly and wildly
the rude customer blustered and yelled threats about lawsuits, but eventually left
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of bluster
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 18 Aug. 2025
Alexander Isak’s prospective move from Newcastle United to Liverpool has developed into the transfer saga of the summer, yet for all the noise and bluster, nothing has actually happened as of yet.
—Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
David E. Sanger, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2025
He’s accompanied on this journey by phonk vet DJ Smokey, a blustering mixtape host treating the occasion like a forensic investigation into the murder of the artist.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bluster
Noun
And yes, President Trump, then former and future President Trump, but Donald Trump was there doing what Donald Trump does, lot of bluster, a lot of lies, lots of stuff.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 18 Aug. 2025
Alexander Isak’s prospective move from Newcastle United to Liverpool has developed into the transfer saga of the summer, yet for all the noise and bluster, nothing has actually happened as of yet.
—Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 29 July 2025
Verb
So far, the result is a blitz of mixed messages, conflicting signals and blustering threats, not unlike the way Mr. Trump and his aides talk about their ever-evolving tariff strategy.
—David E. Sanger, New York Times, 16 Apr. 2025
He’s accompanied on this journey by phonk vet DJ Smokey, a blustering mixtape host treating the occasion like a forensic investigation into the murder of the artist.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bluster
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bluster
Noun
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Between February and May, when Dudek’s tenure ended, his erratic rhetoric and decisions routinely made front-page news.—
Eli Hager,
ProPublica,
8 Sep. 2025
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By moving from rhetoric to large-scale military action, Maduro is signaling that Venezuela will fight drug trafficking on its own terms while resisting Washington's narrative of Caracas as a narco-state.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Nestor Lorenzo’s team lost form and went six games without a victory, but James' goal brought a roar and relief to the entire country.—
Joseph O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The dull roar from the construction site cuts out.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The commotion has come as a surprise to Cooke, who didn’t foresee her role as such a divisive one.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
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The child’s father had arrived home shortly before the incident occurred and heard a commotion in the bedroom, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by KSAT.—
TJ Macias,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The hugs stop and the arguments, the phone obsession, and the huffing cold shoulder starts.—
Cyndy Etler,
Hartford Courant,
28 July 2025
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Fellow porters huffing their way up a hillside; the stars twinkling above the desert sand; the layered waves of Caroline Polachek’s staggeringly beautiful title song cresting over the horizon at just the right moment.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
23 June 2025
Noun
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Unconstrained, Iran’s nuclear program continued to expand as the anti-American bombast and Holocaust denial of the new Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, made diplomacy much more difficult.—
Vali Nasr,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Aug. 2025
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For all his bombast online, for instance, Marcus has said that today’s chatbots are a legitimate breakthrough, just far from the breakthrough; for all of Altman’s petulance, OpenAI’s latest large reasoning models rely on new approaches not so dissimilar from Marcus’s own, decades-old ideas.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
8 July 2025
Noun
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Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has reported that there is already noise about Pittsburgh pursuing a trade for Hill.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
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The Las Vegas formula of maximalism—24/7 noise, crowds, queues, and constant spend—clashes with a mood that prizes sleep, space, and self-regulation.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Florida’s Surgeon General, Joseph Ladapo, created a stir this week suggesting the state eliminate all school vaccine requirements.—
Judy Stone,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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When season 1 premiered, Noah and Joanne’s first kiss caused quite the stir.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This display exposes the campaign’s braggadocio.—
Tom Bartlett,
The Atlantic,
1 Sep. 2025
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Gulf Coast braggadocio, coupled with an incredibly effective government relations team, makes Bollinger an exciting-sounding partner.—
Craig Hooper,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluster. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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