as in rhetoric
marked by the use of impressive-sounding but mostly meaningless words and phrases
one of those fustian odes to patriotic duty that were so beloved by school teachers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in grandiloquence
language that is impressive-sounding but not meaningful or sincere
a speech awash in old-fashioned fustian and bereft of all substance
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of fustian
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 6 June 2023
Noun
Freed of the architectural fustian of the Frick’s Gilded Age home, the art breathes anew, each painting in its own world rather than entwined with others as part of a decorative ensemble.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 6 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fustian
Noun
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Trump frequently used similarly bellicose rhetoric at various times during his first term.—
Brett Samuels,
The Hill,
13 June 2025
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While the reactionary right offered the most frothing anti-gay rhetoric, much of the anti-gay policymaking happened under a Democrat, Bill Clinton.—
Lucas Schaefer
June 13,
Literary Hub,
13 June 2025
Adjective
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However, that evolution remains more rhetorical than structural, at least for now.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
4 June 2025
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Differences of opinion between economists, scorekeepers and analysts are commonplace, as are the heated rhetorical attacks lobbed at the Congressional Budget Office.—
Phil Mattingly,
CNN Money,
4 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fustian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fustian. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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