bombast

noun

ˈbäm-ˌbast How to pronounce bombast (audio)
Definition of bombastnext
1
as in rhetoric
boastful speech or writing the other world leaders at the international conference had little interest in being subjected to the president's bombast

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2
as in grandiloquence
language that is impressive-sounding but not meaningful or sincere you need less bombast and more substance in this speech on human rights

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bombast The screen is big, the image is sharp and bright, but Nolan’s visual compositions are dull—just pictures of actors acting, without style or poetry—and his fetish for size is just bombast and vanity. — Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 17 July 2026 An album inspired by American Gangster, Ridley Scott’s biopic of legendary Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas, gave Jay-Z a chance to step away from the superstar bombast of Kingdom Come and go back to Reasonable Doubt-style dope game tales. — Al Shipley, SPIN, 14 July 2026 The documentary’s contradiction is right there, enthralling us with the wild achievements Potter pulled off and frustrating us with his bombast, leading us to ponder whether, as The Dark Wizard suggests, either could exist without the other. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 May 2026 The bombast of the song clashes with the aloofness of her style. — Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 21 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bombast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bombast
  1. rhetoric
  2. grandiloquence
  3. braggadocio
  4. magniloquence
  5. bluster
  6. chatter
Noun
  • The conservative justice discussed lawmakers’ efforts to expand the Supreme Court, as well as the violent public rhetoric about the court and its members.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Whoever the next commissioner is needs to crack down on the divisive rhetoric.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of rhetoric
Noun
  • Much of that singularity was centered in McCarthy’s prose, which ricocheted—sometimes gracefully, sometimes jarringly—between gruff matter-of-factness and soaring, biblical grandiloquence.
    — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 13 June 2023
  • Several of them can fly, and all have at least a touch of grandiloquence to them.
    — Michael Nordine, Variety, 11 Aug. 2022
Definition of grandiloquence
Noun
  • But smokejumpers generally eschew the spotlight—even a hint of braggadocio amid their ranks is looked down upon—and so their work feels especially shrouded.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Against this stripped down but still bumping backdrop, Christmas and Crack’s loose, witty braggadocio shines.
    — Brendan Hay, SPIN, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of braggadocio
Noun
  • Hammy magniloquence risks alienating viewers, not just for an evening but for life, as does obscurity.
    — The Economist, The Economist, 15 Mar. 2018
Definition of magniloquence
Noun
  • Related Stories Cruise, declaiming every line, acting with blind bluster and a mean gleam of good-ol’-boy joy, makes Digger a walking cartoon — a larger-than-life satire of over-the-top American arrogance, like LBJ crossed with Foghorn Leghorn.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
  • De Zerbi is building a new-look squad around highly technical players and — for all his energy, bluster, nous and physicality – Richarlison does not fit that mould.
    — Dan Kilpatrick, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of bluster
Noun
  • These birds, with their intense, sharp eyes and bold, sturdy appearance, are selective in their social bonds and communicate in loud, rattling chatter.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The group, including Shawn Mendes, Bruna Marquezine, and Edward Norton, relaxed and unwinded as conversations and chatter got louder.
    — Lucrezia Malavolta, Vogue, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of chatter

Browse Nearby Words

bombards
bombast
bombastic
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Cite this Entry

“Bombast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bombast. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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