pompous

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adjective pomp·ous \ ˈpäm-pəs \

Definition of pompous

1 :excessively elevated or ornate

pompous rhetoric

2 :having or exhibiting self-importance :arrogant

a pompous politician

3 :relating to or suggestive of pomp or splendor :magnificent

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pompously

adverb

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pompousness

noun

See pompous defined for English-language learners

See pompous defined for kids

Examples of pompous in a Sentence

So as the pictures of flooded shanties flicker by on cable news, uptight neatnik Midwestern Lutherans and sensitive northeastern urban sophisticates and pompous media grandees on both coasts express shock at the unexpected squalor of the poverty and bafflement over the slovenly corruption of the civic institutions. —Rob Long, National Review, 26 Sept. 2005
President Warren Harding was an orator, but his bloviations were an army of pompous phrases moving across the landscape in search of an idea. —Harold Evans, New York Times Book Review, 11 Nov. 2001
She never allowed her spirit to become, as, say, Henry Adams did, curdled by long exposure to Washington's tawdry and pompous aspects. —George F. Will, Newsweek, 24 May 1999
She found it difficult to talk about her achievements without sounding pompous.
the pompous waiter served us in the manner of a person doing some poor soul a great favor

Recent Examples of pompous from the Web

Yes, he was reared in a comfortable Cincinnati neighborhood, but his upbringing does not jibe with that of the pompous, spoiled, (criminal) rich kid.

— byron mccauley, Cincinnati.com, "Social media reaction to Otto Warmbier death unfortunate," 27 June 2017
The picture of chilling villainy, Reehl is pompous and power-hungry.

— amanda rooker, Orange County Register, "La Habra High delivers ‘Robin Hood’ with heart," 3 May 2017
Lack of strict rules and pompous ceremonies, strong social media presence and female bonding are a big part of the attraction for the young women.

— jari tanner, The Seattle Times, "Hobby-horsing craze in Finland manifestation of girl power," 30 Apr. 2017
Their performances were largely improvised and used facial expressions and costumes to imitate and mock everyone from pompous politicians to rustic tourists.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "When Actors Mixed Politics and Comedy in Ancient Rome," 24 Apr. 2017
The flight attendant is a pompous misogynistic creep with Little Man Syndrome.

— jason green, The Mercury News, "Video: American Airlines employee challenges passenger to fight," 21 Apr. 2017
Over the years, O’Reilly also inspired copycats, serving as the model for the pompous TV pundit that Stephen Colbert played, tongue-in-cheek, for years on Comedy Central before Colbert decamped for CBS.

— meg james, latimes.com, "He helped build Fox News into a juggernaut. What's next for Bill O'Reilly?," 19 Apr. 2017
The walls are crowded with portraits of pompous-looking men in uniforms, the forebears of the princess’s husband, the field marshal, who is away for a military campaign.

— anthony tommasini, New York Times, "Review: Renée Fleming’s Poignant Farewell to ‘Der Rosenkavalier’," 14 Apr. 2017
Then the pompous, wealthy, comedically oblivious Van Peteghem family arrives to take up residence in their splendid summer estate, the Typhonium, perched high on a hillside overlooking the bay.

— richard brody, The New Yorker, "Bruno Dumont’s Self-Surpassing Inventiveness in “Slack Bay”," 10 Mar. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of pompous

see pomp

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

pompous Synonyms

Synonyms

assumptive, bumptious, cavalier, chesty, haughty, highfalutin (also hifalutin), high-and-mighty, high-handed, high-hat, huffish, huffy, imperious, important, lofty, lordly, masterful, overweening, peremptory, arrogant, presuming, presumptuous, pretentious, self-asserting, self-assertive, sniffy, stiff-necked, supercilious, superior, toplofty (also toploftical), uppish, uppity

Antonyms

humble, lowly, modest, unarrogant, unpretentious

Near Antonyms

bashful, cowering, cringing, demure, diffident, introverted, mousy (or mousey), overmodest, self-critical, self-doubting, sheepish, shrinking, shy, subdued, timid; acquiescent, compliant, deferential, meek, passive, submissive, unaggressive, unassertive, unassuming, unobtrusive, yielding; quiet, reserved, retiring

POMPOUS Defined for English Language Learners

pompous

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adjective

Definition of pompous for English Language Learners

: having or showing the attitude of people who speak and behave in a very formal and serious way because they believe that they are better, smarter, or more important than other people