1
as in arrogance
an exaggerated sense of one's importance that shows itself in the making of excessive or unjustified claims
offended by the pompousness of the minor official
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in vanity
an often unjustified feeling of being pleased with oneself or with one's situation or achievements
the pompousness of the self-made billionaire was evident in the gaudy mansion he built for himself
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pompousness
Any claim for Swift’s genius should reckon with her lapses into imprecision and pompousness.
—
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pompousness
Noun
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This arrogance is not just limited to tech titans.—
Christian Josi,
Boston Herald,
31 Aug. 2025
-
These traits do not always show up as arrogance.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
On the surface, vanity PR may look good.—
Jenna Guarneri,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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The report suggests there could also be other operating issues with the vehicle's DC/AC inverter, glove box light, vanity lights, dome lamps, alarm portion of the horn, rear defrost, or the USB charger.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Early birds have long basked in the glory of health superiority, sometimes even tinged with a hit of moral righteousness.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
4 Sep. 2025
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For DeMuth, the goal is not only technical superiority but national strategic advantage.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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There are moments, of course, especially with characters like Ken (Tim Key), a middle manager with an outsized ego who routinely makes a mess of things, but tonally this is a very different show than its predecessor.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Children being raised in different homes can still have positive outcomes if both parents are willing to put their egos aside and do the self-work needed to show up as the healthy adults their kids deserve.—
Essence,
Essence,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In a sloppy game, the Eagles will take pride in the turnover differential — the Eagles forced one and did not turn the ball over.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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They’re all held back by different things – pride, fear, shame – but all of them, in one way or another, are eventually set free by the truth.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pompousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pompousness. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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