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
Jamie Demetriou, best known for his memorable performances in Fleabag and Stath Lets Flats, has been cast as the pompous and self-important distant relative who intends to marry one of the Bennet girls.
—
Emily Blackwood, People.com, 30 July 2025
Louis Partridge will take on Mr Darcy’s nemesis, Mr Wickham with Jamie Demetriou turning his hand to the pompous Mr Collins and Fiona Shaw as the fearsome Lady Catherine de Bourg.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 29 July 2025
Warner also had a memorable guest arc as Eric Sanders, pompous boyfriend of Karyn Parsons' Hilary Banks, on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
—EW.com, 21 July 2025
As pompous actor Garry, Nehal Joshi aces the tough task of making his character’s halting, inarticulate speech sound authentic.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for pompous
Emily Blackwood, People.com, 30 July 2025
Louis Partridge will take on Mr Darcy’s nemesis, Mr Wickham with Jamie Demetriou turning his hand to the pompous Mr Collins and Fiona Shaw as the fearsome Lady Catherine de Bourg.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 29 July 2025
Warner also had a memorable guest arc as Eric Sanders, pompous boyfriend of Karyn Parsons' Hilary Banks, on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
—EW.com, 21 July 2025
As pompous actor Garry, Nehal Joshi aces the tough task of making his character’s halting, inarticulate speech sound authentic.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for pompous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pompous
Adjective
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Zane played the arrogant Cal Hockley, who was engaged to Jack's love interest, Rose (played by Kate Winslet).—
Virginia Chamlee,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Hardly seems like enough to cow these arrogant companies into behaving, especially when their business model is so intrinsically tied to hoovering up other people’s information and creative work.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Colum’s smug assurance that the wedding will happen soon is rocked when Ned shows up with news of the Grants’ suspicions about the raid.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
12 Sep. 2025
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Howard sells his smug malice, digging into Matt in a way no one has before until the whole thing devolves into a physical fight.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Their pretentious vocabulary is what’s keeping progressives from connecting with everyday Americans, according to a memo prepared by a left-leaning think tank and aimed at helping Democrats regain their common touch.—
Nolan Finley,
Twin Cities,
11 Sep. 2025
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For him, the only way to tell those stories without being pretentious is to wrap them in insanity.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Hilaria Baldwin and Gleb Savchenko showed off their Cha Cha skills loud and proud tonight!—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
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The best people aren’t too proud to prove themselves on the ground.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Positive feedback enhanced their feelings of uniqueness (a key aspect of grandiose narcissism).—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
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If the Coliseum does become a regular ground for cricket, grandiose plans are envisioned.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Overblown, ostentatious hybrids of classical and local styles, kitschily ornamented with classical detail, all on a scale meant to be overwhelming rather than inviting—that’s what Big Brother’s city hall always looks like.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
6 Sep. 2025
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Now, the Chinese leader is set to exhibit a very different image with an ostentatious show of military might.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Kirk promised that her husband will not have died in vain and said that instead his message would only become stronger.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
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Thomas doesn't want her daughter to die in vain, either.—
Nushrat Rahman,
Freep.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Their music provided a suitably self-important soundtrack as Great Recession-era artisanal hipsterdom faded into the careerist hopefulness of the latter Obama years, when Everlane minimalism supplanted lumberjack plaid.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
13 Aug. 2025
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The effort was pointless and self-important and never once determined the Legislature could promote happiness by lowering the cost of living and staying out of people’s lives.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
11 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pompous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pompous. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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