FUSTIAN Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

fustian 1 of 2

adjective

as in rhetorical

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

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fustian

2 of 2

noun

ˈfəs-chən

as in rhetoric

language that is impressive-sounding but not meaningful or sincere a speech awash in old-fashioned fustian and bereft of all substance

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Recent Examples of fustian

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

Adjective

Hiding in plain sight Pennsylvania, like many northern states, responded to the Declaration of Independence’s rhetorical commitment to liberty by enacting a gradual emancipation law.

— Carolyn Zola, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
The invocation of self-evident truths and inherent rights is a warrant for the destruction of existing order, a rhetorical erasure not only of the divine right of kings but also, more generally, of the prerogatives of power.

— New York Times, New York Times, 9 June 2026