1
as in rhetoric
boastful speech or writing
the other world leaders at the international conference had little interest in being subjected to the president's bombast
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in grandiloquence
language that is impressive-sounding but not meaningful or sincere
you need less bombast and more substance in this speech on human rights
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bombast
The 42-year-old Pacific Palisades native attributes his many lives to having an unparalleled amount of energy, a strain of inner bombast that could be likened to strobes of light and patterns behind closed eyelids.
—
Rachel Brodsky, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Returning composer Johannes Ringen’s big orchestral score provides the kind of bombast that might as easily suit any multiplex-ready popcorn epic.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 Dec. 2025
The doctor himself is characterized sometimes by boisterously chattering lines, sometimes by semi-Wagnerian bombast; at the end, his music turns elegiac, implicitly undercutting his dreams of beginning anew.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
On the face of it, a clash of bombast against guile; in reality, though Fonseca’s weight of shot ultimately triumphed, a showcase of two very multi-faceted talents.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bombast
Rachel Brodsky, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
Returning composer Johannes Ringen’s big orchestral score provides the kind of bombast that might as easily suit any multiplex-ready popcorn epic.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 Dec. 2025
The doctor himself is characterized sometimes by boisterously chattering lines, sometimes by semi-Wagnerian bombast; at the end, his music turns elegiac, implicitly undercutting his dreams of beginning anew.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
On the face of it, a clash of bombast against guile; in reality, though Fonseca’s weight of shot ultimately triumphed, a showcase of two very multi-faceted talents.
—Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bombast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bombast
Noun
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The rhetoric intensified Friday as GOP lawmakers responded to the attacks in Michigan and Virginia by urging a halt to all immigration into the United States.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Mar. 2026
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Republican lawmakers intensify anti-Muslim rhetoric, with one saying that ‘Muslims don’t belong in American society,’ drawing Democratic condemnation and GOP silence.—
Joey Cappelletti,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Much of that singularity was centered in McCarthy’s prose, which ricocheted—sometimes gracefully, sometimes jarringly—between gruff matter-of-factness and soaring, biblical grandiloquence.—
Alex Shephard,
The New Republic,
13 June 2023
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Several of them can fly, and all have at least a touch of grandiloquence to them.—
Michael Nordine,
Variety,
11 Aug. 2022
Noun
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Nicholson's portrayal of a rebellious mental hospital inmate is a phenomenal combination of sly intelligence and impish braggadocio, best showcased during the scene where, thwarted in his attempt to watch the World Series on TV, McMurphy ad libs a commentary in front of a blank set.—
Devan Coggan,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
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Trump’s braggadocio State of the Union message about our surging economy and his compassionate ICE raids was the icing on the Circassian cake.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Hammy magniloquence risks alienating viewers, not just for an evening but for life, as does obscurity.—
The Economist,
The Economist,
15 Mar. 2018
Noun
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All bluster aside, this read as an attempt at de-escalation.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
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Unlike the politicians who are full of bluff and bluster and can see no further than the next election, Leo is charting a course for the long term.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The chatter led General Mills to buy La Tiara’s assets in June for $10 million.—
Jenna Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
16 Mar. 2026
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Herson said he’s not focused on the chatter.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bombast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bombast. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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