1
as in arrogant
having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude
the pompous waiter served us in the manner of a person doing some poor soul a great favor
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in smug
having too high an opinion of oneself
a pompous piano teacher who thought that the music world was lucky to have her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in pretentious
self-consciously trying to present an appearance of grandeur or importance
a pompous gambling casino decorated to look like a palace in ancient Rome
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pompous
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and María Luisa Manrique de Lara y Gonzaga (a rather pompous name that encompassed two major hereditary estates, a principality, a county, a marquisate, and, for a time, a viceroyalty) met in 1680 in Mexico City.
—
Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
His portrayal of a pompous, yapping intellectual who's rotten to the core rings uncomfortably true, as do the performances of Thatcher and East as their characters nonverbally communicate their discomfort to each other.
—Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Guigal’s strategy isn’t built on pompous conservatism, but in long-term thinking.
—Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Louis Partridge will take on the scheming Mr Wickham, with Jamie Demetriou playing the pompous Mr Collins, Daryl McCormack as Jane’s beloved Mr Bingley, Siena Kelly as his sister Caroline and Shaw as the fearsome Lady Catherine de Bourg.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pompous
Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
His portrayal of a pompous, yapping intellectual who's rotten to the core rings uncomfortably true, as do the performances of Thatcher and East as their characters nonverbally communicate their discomfort to each other.
—Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Guigal’s strategy isn’t built on pompous conservatism, but in long-term thinking.
—Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Louis Partridge will take on the scheming Mr Wickham, with Jamie Demetriou playing the pompous Mr Collins, Daryl McCormack as Jane’s beloved Mr Bingley, Siena Kelly as his sister Caroline and Shaw as the fearsome Lady Catherine de Bourg.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pompous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pompous
Adjective
-
In the early years of his fame as a writer, Rushdie had something of a reputation for being prickly and arrogant, but Gibney’s portrait reveals a man mellowed by time and experience.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Spock is this brilliant, arrogant, aloof-to-the-point-of-obnoxiousness genius.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
18 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But that poem is no smug cliché.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Marcello is looking especially smug and evil in this scene for reasons unclear.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
19 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Elevated with an ever-evolving menu of dishes in a non-pretentious yet upscale environment, Forty 1 is led by Chef Lindsey Dale who is no stranger to fresh, local ingredients, and who also works closely with local purveyors.—
David Duran,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Jan. 2026
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In Tim Burton’s breakthrough film, O’Hara played tragically hip Delia Deetz, the pretentious and self-absorbed stepmother of Winona Ryder’s Lydia.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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But the reaction is just as vast, and even more persistent, Angela was proud to tell me about Moon Palace’s place as a node in a larger community network.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Now 32, the Canadian is the proud owner of 25 X Games medals, including 14 gold total and eight in the slopestyle discipline.—
Michelle Bruton,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
High school coaches are now guiding their young players to start looking at smaller colleges instead of having grandiose dreams of joining the big-time programs right away.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Feb. 2026
-
In mid-August, the Governor’s official X account began mocking the President in his own addled, grandiose, all-caps style.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In an entertainment career spanning more than 50 years, O'Hara excelled in playing characters who were cartoonishly larger than life but recognizably human, theatrically vain but ultimately endearing.—
Meriam Bouarrouj,
NBC news,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Their efforts were not in vain.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Dell is not trying to be ostentatious.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Besides, $500 gets you a pretty decent phone these days — without ostentatious gold and a close affiliation with a president who has a decades-long track record of launching and sinking well over a dozen businesses.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
And women who foreground themselves in any capacity are often perceived to be self-important drama queens, or narcissists.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
22 Dec. 2025
-
Jeffrey Tambor Known for playing the pompous, self-important mayor of Whoville, Jeffery Tambor also has an esteemed career across television and film.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pompous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pompous. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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