1
as in rhetoric
boastful speech or writing
all the bluster in the campaign speech was intended to hide a lack of specifics
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2
as in roar
loud, confused, and usually inharmonious sound
I can't work with all the bluster in here
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity
a mayor who got things done without a lot of bluster and self-serving publicity
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to huff
to talk loudly and wildly
the rude customer blustered and yelled threats about lawsuits, but eventually left
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of bluster
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
Iran lies, cheats, blusters and bullies.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 26 Jan. 2026
The administration also has ordered a massive military buildup in the Caribbean and blustered about regime change given the nation’s awful socialist leader.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bluster
Noun
So far, Trump’s bluster has fallen on deaf ears.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026
Iran lies, cheats, blusters and bullies.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
Trump has blustered, contradicted himself publicly, ramped-up rhetorically and then backed down, mostly without receiving obvious concessions.
—Andrew Latham, The Conversation, 26 Jan. 2026
The administration also has ordered a massive military buildup in the Caribbean and blustered about regime change given the nation’s awful socialist leader.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bluster
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bluster
Noun
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Framed as a platform for addressing inequality, climate change and the rise of right-wing political movements, yet the rhetoric coming from it has raised questions in Washington and across the region about whether a more coordinated political counterweight to the United States is taking shape.—
Armando Regil Velasco,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
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People have been called pedants since the early modern period—pedante is a fifteenth-century Italian coinage for a professional teacher of Latin literature and rhetoric—but have been acting pedantically for millennia.—
Clare Bucknell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
On Saturday night, a great roar of affirmation, actually several great roars, answered that question.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The wind suddenly picked up with a roar.—
Forum News Service,
Twin Cities,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
With all of the commotion made about his on-base streak being snapped, his performance on the mound was almost an afterthought.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
-
From its location away from the courtroom, the jury heard a commotion.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Washington’s Copium But the White House is huffing its own brand of copium.—
Newsweek Editors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Audio from the Tread is more than loud enough even when huffing, puffing, and sprinting through a challenging interval.—
Craig Rawlins-Wilson,
PC Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Eye-rolling over Gorka’s bombast has given way to anxiety about the administration’s preparedness to identify and stop major plots.—
Hannah Allam,
ProPublica,
21 Apr. 2026
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The bombast of the song clashes with the aloofness of her style.—
Stephen Kearse,
Pitchfork,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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October 23 – November 21 Your focus cuts through noise and moves things forward.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Scorpio October 23 – November 21 Your focus cuts through noise and moves things forward.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The arrest came days after he was arrested in the nearby city of Concord after allegedly causing a disturbance at a prep school, the Concord Police Department (CPD) confirmed to PEOPLE at the time.—
Jeff Nelson,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
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The incident stemmed from a domestic disturbance.—
Suzanne Nuyen,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But for everything Gates said that might appeal to a frustrated Democrat like me, his Huntington Beach braggadocio continually won out.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
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Rather than bluster and braggadocio, the Department of Defense needs a well-conceived and thoughtfully presented multiyear program to build a military fit for large-scale and sustained war.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bluster.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bluster. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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