bombastic

adjective

bom·​bas·​tic bäm-ˈba-stik 

: marked by or given to speech or writing that is given exaggerated importance by artificial or empty means : marked by or given to bombast : pompous, overblown

The spots that ran before the title game were even more bombastic: "The greatest rivalry ever …"

—Franz Lidz

bombastically

bäm-ˈba-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms of bombastic

• rhetorical
• inflated
• pontifical

Examples of bombastic in a Sentence

a bombastic speech intended to impress the voters in her congressional district

Recent Examples on the Web

The show has evolved over its long tenure, but its bombastic 50th season managed to both capture the spirit of the show's origins and honor its long legacy. —Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 17 June 2026

For the 2026 edition, by far the biggest in the competition’s 96-year history, even that grandiose billing is nothing like bombastic enough. —Oliver Kay, New York Times, 13 June 2026

At times during his bombastic, table-shaking, enigmatic career, the singer, arranger, musician, and producer came off as a restless indie artist masquerading as a multiplatinum megastar. —Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 7 June 2026

Dirden played the bombastic Pozzo, a traveler who crosses paths with the pair, while Michael Patrick Thornton portrayed his servant, Lucky. —Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

bombast + -ic entry 1

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bombastic

• aplastic
• dynastic
• dysplastic
• elastic
• fantastic
• gymnastic
• monastic
• sarcastic
• scholastic
• silastic
• stochastic
• aeroelastic