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
The pompous clergyman enters the life of the Bennet family, his distant cousins, with the assumption that, given his respectable position and benefactor, Lady Catherine De Bourgh, one of those daughters would be happy to marry him.
—
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
In Italy in the 1960s, announcements about a state-of-the-art highway that would soon connect the economically struggling south with the advanced north were as pompous as the scale of the project.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
When a pompous male customer refused to be waited on by a female server, Bass quietly approached the table.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for pompous
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
In Italy in the 1960s, announcements about a state-of-the-art highway that would soon connect the economically struggling south with the advanced north were as pompous as the scale of the project.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 17 Feb. 2026
When a pompous male customer refused to be waited on by a female server, Bass quietly approached the table.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 1 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for pompous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pompous
Adjective
-
The passage is incoherent, yet, in conflating progressive reform with arrogant blind faith, it is perfectly suited to Vance’s cynical conservatism.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
19 June 2026
-
To no one’s surprise, Bonnie is immediately transfixed by her Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee, whose arrogant smarm effectively threads the needle between Maya Hawke’s Anxiety and Regina George’s everything else).—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Most smug articles and books that claim to provide quick fixes come off as tone-deaf or even counterproductive.—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2026
-
But the series’ central character, played by Rachel Weisz, has enough nervous, itchy, manic energy to make the show’s narrative structure feel purposely unstable rather than safely smug.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
Not to sound pretentious, but Elwood Dowd is sort of like a Christlike figure.—
Scott Feinberg,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
-
Set the scene Sexy without being pretentious and bold without the brashness, Il Sereno is a lesson in artful restraint.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Mamdani, proud of his socialist values, had developed a language for communicating a collective, interdependent vision of city life through his consistent emphasis on affordability.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
-
This is also where the film dips into the past and becomes awash in the proud history of Hawaiian surfing, bowing at the legend of the great Duke Kahanamoku and going deep into others and how the sport became such a religion for many, notably devotee Kristen.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
22 June 2026
Adjective
-
Particularly when those celebrations involve more grandiose demonstrations of patriotism, or are organized by someone who doesn't share their political ideology or belief system.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 June 2026
-
For the 2026 edition, by far the biggest in the competition’s 96-year history, even that grandiose billing is nothing like bombastic enough.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
13 June 2026
Adjective
-
Tristan Peters made a vain dive for the ball, which got past him and allowed both baserunners to score.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
20 June 2026
-
Sending him out to sell a vague agreement with Iran is unlikely to win over the hawks who wonder why Tehran is getting off so lightly and whether the war was in vain.—
Rob Crilly,
The Washington Examiner,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
In the week ahead, some hard realities of the office have threatened to overshadow the ostentatious UFC mixed martial arts extravaganza, where combatants sealed inside a wire-mesh octagon try to punch, kick, chop and pummel each other into submission.—
Will Weissert,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
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This week, the hard realities of the office have threatened to overshadow the ostentatious UFC mixed martial arts extravaganza, where combatants sealed inside a wire-mesh octagon try to punch, kick, chop and pummel each other into submission.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
Self-righteous and self-important, priggish and nagging.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
-
Only this time the interns are boring Gen Z stereotypes (obsessed with TikTok, too sensitive, too emotional, too self-important).—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pompous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pompous. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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