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

But the English-speaking pontiff has risen as an influential American critic living in the Vatican, using his platform on the world stage as a moral contrast to the president's more bombastic rhetoric and aggressive use of executive power. —Terry Collins, USA Today, 12 Apr. 2026

There was a lot of really bombastic language that happened throughout this war. —Adam Harris, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026

The three-minute-plus earworm is more of a bombastic wakeup call than a nursery rhyme. —Jae-Ha Kim, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026

Anyone expecting Draper to be bombastic about his immediate prospects will be disappointed, however. —Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 2 Mar. 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