as in rhetorical
marked by the use of impressive-sounding but mostly meaningless words and phrases
a bombastic speech intended to impress the voters in her congressional district
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Recent Examples of bombastic
In another era, Pratt would have been a welcome edition to the roster of bombastic Southern California preachers a la Aimee Semple McPherson, Chuck Smith and Gene Scott, as well as radio titans such as George Putnam and John Kobylt.
—
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
Those reservations have been blown up by the bombastic presence of Alcaraz combined with Sinner’s stoicism, a synergy seen in full force at Roland Garros last year.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 12 May 2026
That claim sounds bombastic when much of the art world sees the headline grabbing Banksy as a guilty pleasure at best.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 7 May 2026
The 77-year-old monarch faced a number of possible pitfalls from a bombastic US president known for creating controversy and generating headlines at the lowest moment for US-UK relations in modern history.
—Max Foster, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bombastic
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
Those reservations have been blown up by the bombastic presence of Alcaraz combined with Sinner’s stoicism, a synergy seen in full force at Roland Garros last year.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 12 May 2026
That claim sounds bombastic when much of the art world sees the headline grabbing Banksy as a guilty pleasure at best.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 7 May 2026
The 77-year-old monarch faced a number of possible pitfalls from a bombastic US president known for creating controversy and generating headlines at the lowest moment for US-UK relations in modern history.
—Max Foster, CNN Money, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bombastic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bombastic
Adjective
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Hiding in plain sight Pennsylvania, like many northern states, responded to the Declaration of Independence’s rhetorical commitment to liberty by enacting a gradual emancipation law.—
Carolyn Zola,
The Conversation,
11 June 2026
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The invocation of self-evident truths and inherent rights is a warrant for the destruction of existing order, a rhetorical erasure not only of the divine right of kings but also, more generally, of the prerogatives of power.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
9 June 2026
Adjective
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Spalding contends that the container manufacturers sold equipment at inflated prices to leasing companies, ocean carriers and logistics providers, which then incorporated those costs into lease rates, freight charges and transportation fees.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
18 June 2026
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An audit published in January of this year showed the NBE was incurring significant losses in the process of buying gold at such an inflated premium.—
Claire Wilmot & Gisa Tunbridge,
The Dial,
12 June 2026
Adjective
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Leo opened his visit to Pompeii by meeting with sick and disabled people who are cared for by a charity center affiliated with the sanctuary, which Leo’s namesake, Pope Leo XIII, declared a pontifical basilica in 1901.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
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That public spat has overshadowed his pontifical tour of four African countries, which ended Thursday with a Mass for thousands of people in Malabo, the former capital of Equatorial Guinea.—
Claudio Lavanga,
NBC news,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bombastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bombastic. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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