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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While some may view these new statements as a step toward accountability, others remain skeptical, citing the depth and repeated nature of his past rhetoric.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
22 May 2025
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In her public rhetoric, mostly on social media and right-wing media appearances, Lake has veered between promising to restore the networks to their historic mission and pledging to demolish them.—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Despite rhetorical nods to sovereignty, the Trump administration has showed little interest in backing most independence movements, like those of the Kurds, throughout the Middle East, or the Catalans, in Spain.—
Ryan D. Griffiths,
Foreign Affairs,
20 May 2025
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This kind of rhetorical whiplash doesn’t sit right.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fustian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fustian. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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