as in rhetoric
marked by the use of impressive-sounding but mostly meaningless words and phrases
one of those fustian odes to patriotic duty that were so beloved by school teachers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in grandiloquence
language that is impressive-sounding but not meaningful or sincere
a speech awash in old-fashioned fustian and bereft of all substance
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of fustian
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 6 June 2023
Noun
Freed of the architectural fustian of the Frick’s Gilded Age home, the art breathes anew, each painting in its own world rather than entwined with others as part of a decorative ensemble.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 6 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fustian
Noun
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Trump ordered some 450 federal agents to patrol the nation's capital and target crime on Aug. 9 and 10 amid his escalating rhetoric condemning violent crime in the city.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
14 Aug. 2025
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Celina Stewart, the CEO of the League of Women Voters, agreed, telling Glamour that this sort of rhetoric should be treated seriously.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Egypt's move further amplifies how mere rhetorical support for the Gazans only goes so far.—
Daniel Markind,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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With examples drawn from Scripture and across the length of history, Paine commits rhetorical regicide.—
Matthew Redmond
August 13,
Literary Hub,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fustian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fustian. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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