Bombastic
adjective /bɒmˈbæs.tɪk/ — High-sounding language with little actual content
Definition
Using high-sounding, inflated language that promises more than it delivers — impressive in sound but thin in substance.
Beyond the definition
The speech that exhausts its budget on the approach and arrives with nothing. Bombastic words fill rooms and say nothing.
Origin & history
From 'bombast' (cotton padding used to stuff garments) — from Old French 'bombace' (cotton). To be bombastic is to be padded out with something that looks substantial but has no real content.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The speech was bombastic — full of grand gestures that pointed at nothing.
Bombastic writing is easy to write and exhausting to read.
He learned early that the most bombastic claims attracted the most credulous followers.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Bombastic” when the meaning fits your context: Using high-sounding, inflated language that promises more than it delivers — impressive in sound but thin in substance.
Synonyms
grandiose, inflated, pompous, highfalutin, verbose
Antonyms
pithy, understated, concise, substantial
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Inflated Oratorical Gestures
An orator stands on a stage with exaggerated, outstretched arms, their expression commanding and intense, in a vast, dark, and empty space.
Bombastic language sounds impressive but lacks substance. The orator's expansive, theatrical gestures set against an empty, dark space provide a visual analogy for this inflation: the outward appearance of power and drama promises much, but the surrounding vacancy highlights the potential thinness of the underlying substance being delivered.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Bombastic" mean?
Bombastic is adjective meaning: High-sounding language with little actual content. Using high-sounding, inflated language that promises more than it delivers — impressive in sound but thin in substance.
Where does the word "Bombastic" come from?
From 'bombast' (cotton padding used to stuff garments) — from Old French 'bombace' (cotton). To be bombastic is to be padded out with something that looks substantial but has no real content.