as in rhetoric
marked by the use of impressive-sounding but mostly meaningless words and phrases
a bombastic speech intended to impress the voters in her congressional district
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Recent Examples of bombastic
Throughout the campaign, the pair has not tried to dominate one another, but has instead employed a politics of collaboration in order to fend off the bombastic former governor and serial harasser, Andrew Cuomo.
—
Steven W. Thrasher
june 26, Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
Against the song’s bombastic production, Lorde details the ghastly side of starvation, including rotten teeth and shattered mirrors.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2025
Among the 100 outfits on display are some bombastic, kite-like contraptions, bulbous pileups of fabric donuts, and a Chewbacca-esque cape-cum-sarcophogus.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 25 June 2025
Levin’s lunch with Trump is a testament to the bombastic radio and TV host’s wide influence on the right.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bombastic
Steven W. Thrasher
june 26, Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
Against the song’s bombastic production, Lorde details the ghastly side of starvation, including rotten teeth and shattered mirrors.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2025
Among the 100 outfits on display are some bombastic, kite-like contraptions, bulbous pileups of fabric donuts, and a Chewbacca-esque cape-cum-sarcophogus.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 25 June 2025
Levin’s lunch with Trump is a testament to the bombastic radio and TV host’s wide influence on the right.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bombastic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bombastic
rhetorical
Adjective
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That brief respite in Trump’s relentless rhetorical war on his favorite economic foil will almost certainly expire Wednesday afternoon – possibly while Powell is still fielding questions from reporters after the Fed announces its interest rate decision.—
Phil Mattingly,
CNN Money,
30 July 2025
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The phrase itself is more of a rhetorical flourish than a description of how Beijing sees Moscow.—
Da Wei,
Foreign Affairs,
29 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bombastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bombastic. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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