Definition of GRANDILOQUENCE

Did You Know?

Grandiloquence, which first appeared in English in the late 16th century, is one of several English words pertaining to speech that derive from the Latin loqui, meaning "to speak." Other offspring of "loqui" include "eloquent" ("marked by fluent expression"), "loquacious" ("full of excessive talk"), and "soliloquy" ("a long dramatic monologue"). "Grandiloquence" comes (probably via Middle French) from the Latin adjective grandiloquus, which combines "loqui" and the adjective "grandis" ("grand or great"). A word that is very similar in meaning to "grandiloquence" is "magniloquence" - and the similarity is not surprising. "Magniloquence" combines "loqui" with "magnus," another Latin word meaning "great."

Examples of grandiloquence in a Sentence

a heavyweight champion who was famous for his entertaining grandiloquence prior to every match the predictably wearisome grandiloquence of the speeches at a political convention

Recent Examples on the Web His most recent high-profile job, foreign secretary, found him ill at ease in a role that required more gravitas than grandiloquence. — Benjamin Mueller, New York Times, "Sure, Boris Johnson Is Funny. But Has He Ever Done a Job Well?," 22 July 2019 Bird never did have the hops to transport himself from one piece of famed parquet to another, but that didn’t stop Pitino from selling the kind of grandiloquence that epitomized the too-good-to-be-true verbiage and essence of the college game. — Harvey Araton, New York Times, "Pitino, Who Demanded Total Control, Can’t Avoid Accountability Now," 28 Sep. 2017 Rose’s plain-spokenness is the necessary counterweight to her husband’s grandiloquence. — A. O. Scott, New York Times, "Review: Beneath the Bombast, ‘Fences’ Has an Aching Poetry," 15 Dec. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'grandiloquence.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Learn More about grandiloquence

Listen to Our Podcast about grandiloquence

Dictionary Entries near grandiloquence

Statistics for grandiloquence

Cite this Entry

“Grandiloquence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grandiloquence. Accessed 20 Feb. 2020.