as in rhetorical
marked by the use of impressive-sounding but mostly meaningless words and phrases
on election night TV's self-important pundits let loose a fusillade of flatulent pontifications
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 flatulent
Gary Oldman plays Jackson Lamb in the series, the curmudgeonly and flatulent chief of Slough House where all the MI5 misfits are sent.
—
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Led by Gary Oldman’s flatulent and sardonic Jackson Lamb, the ‘slow horses’ of Slough House prove weirdly effective, often confounding MI5’s Second Desk Diana Taverner (Kristen Scott-Thomas) and, as of Season 4, its First Desk Claude Whelan (James Tallis).
—Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 29 July 2025
This time, the technique is turned upon classic alien invasion movies of the Golden Age with liberal helpings of pure human stupidity as a seemingly peaceful first contact moment goes awry and gets bloody, leading to a solar system-ending flatulent finish.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 17 May 2025
The waggish jeer that subverts the Reich Chancellery, designed by Adolf Hitler's chief architect, Albert Speer, must have sent the woman who chastises children for flatulent folly into a tizzy.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flatulent
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Led by Gary Oldman’s flatulent and sardonic Jackson Lamb, the ‘slow horses’ of Slough House prove weirdly effective, often confounding MI5’s Second Desk Diana Taverner (Kristen Scott-Thomas) and, as of Season 4, its First Desk Claude Whelan (James Tallis).
—Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 29 July 2025
This time, the technique is turned upon classic alien invasion movies of the Golden Age with liberal helpings of pure human stupidity as a seemingly peaceful first contact moment goes awry and gets bloody, leading to a solar system-ending flatulent finish.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 17 May 2025
The waggish jeer that subverts the Reich Chancellery, designed by Adolf Hitler's chief architect, Albert Speer, must have sent the woman who chastises children for flatulent folly into a tizzy.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for flatulent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flatulent
Adjective
-
But the window requires decisions that run against every instinct of a community built around distrust of central coordination, resistance to change, and deep skepticism of urgency as a rhetorical device.—
Sandy Peng,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
American presidents have long used scripture as a rhetorical resource to frame important moments in the nation’s history.—
NPR,
NPR,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Beyond-high ticket prices have drawn protests, along with inflated mass-transportation costs in host cities.—
Greg Cote
June 4,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
-
Unlike Benitez, who arrived at Anfield with inflated confidence having won two La Liga titles in three seasons at Valencia, along with the UEFA Cup, Iraola’s track record is one of a developer at each of his previous clubs rather than a deliverer of trophies.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Cesium, in particular, is more of a wild card than once thought, often staying gaseous for much longer.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
24 May 2026
-
Liquid and gaseous wastes are primarily regulated under pollution-control laws.—
Aman Kumar,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Times first reported back in 2024 that the attraction’s gassy cars would be on the way out by the end of 2026.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
In 1997 the telescope photographed the gassy region inside the Trifid Nebula, which lies within the constellation Sagittarius.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Leo opened his visit to Pompeii by meeting with sick and disabled people who are cared for by a charity center affiliated with the sanctuary, which Leo’s namesake, Pope Leo XIII, declared a pontifical basilica in 1901.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 May 2026
-
That public spat has overshadowed his pontifical tour of four African countries, which ended Thursday with a Mass for thousands of people in Malabo, the former capital of Equatorial Guinea.—
Claudio Lavanga,
NBC news,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In addition to Galitzine, Idris Elba gets to chew on scenery and a redemption arc as Teela’s battle-ready dad Man-At-Arms, and Jared Leto pulls off his most enjoyable role in years, melding bombastic theatricality and bad-boss vibes as Skeletor.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
-
In another era, Pratt would have been a welcome edition to the roster of bombastic Southern California preachers a la Aimee Semple McPherson, Chuck Smith and Gene Scott, as well as radio titans such as George Putnam and John Kobylt.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flatulent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flatulent. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
