Thesaurus results for POMPOUS

pompous

adjective

ˈpäm-pəs

Definition of pompous

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

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

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of pompous Then give the land back, you pompous charlatans. — Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 2 May 2026 Same goes for Mary’s husband (Corey Stoll), a rather pompous struggling professor. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2026 And the less said of the poorly mixed, pompous Machina, the better. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2026 The pompous clergyman enters the life of the Bennet family, his distant cousins, with the assumption that, given his respectable position and benefactor, Lady Catherine De Bourgh, one of those daughters would be happy to marry him. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pompous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pompous

Adjective

Each of these decisions laid the groundwork for the war on Iran today, one that started without a clear strategy on the arrogant expectation of a quick victory.

— Alexander Langlois, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026
The data center industry is only one face of an arrogant oligarchy that people believe now runs Congress, the courts, the White House, state legislatures and local governments.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of arrogant

Adjective

Historian Sandgruber describes how Alois Hitler wrote his 1895 letters in a deeply smug, anti-clerical manner that overestimated his abilities.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 June 2026
Li at times plays Cola with a smug impetuousness that belies her naivety about this world to a satisfying degree.

— Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 17 June 2026

Definition of smug

Adjective

By applying a jammy, near-Baduist flow to the sequencing, Zay can cogently dissect 10 ideas in one three-minute song without sounding crowded or, worse, pretentious.

— Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 29 July 2026
The Majestic espouses a traditional luxury hotel style without feeling stuffy or pretentious.

— Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 7 July 2026

Definition of pretentious

Adjective

The proud mom shared pictures of her and Green cuddling their little one in the hospital room, concealing the newborn’s face in the snaps.

— Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026
Glasner is aware of Forest’s proud record of having an academy product in every matchday squad since 1941.

— Paul Taylor, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of proud

Adjective

The city is grandiose enough that there are even ways for filmmakers to put their own spin on its more conventional sights and sounds.

— Whitney Friedlander, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Serra’s immersive event, a rapture of colors and shadows, pays fittingly grandiose tribute to an emissary of a legendary cinematic era.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of grandiose

Adjective

Although the director’s overuse of foot-stomp transitions can feel a bit self-important — experimental for experimental’s sake — this is interesting theater of ideas.

— Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 10 Aug. 2026
It’s dominated by a less than transparent booster, Eli James (Michael Hough), who comes with a self-important wife, Jemma (Mary Holland), and a pair of teenage twin girls who might be described as all dressed up with nowhere to go.

— Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Definition of self-important

Adjective

That is where Pedicularis’ large, ostentatious flowers, easily spotted from afar, may help.

— Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026
His informal getup, a T-shirt and shorts, contrasts with the elegant environment primed for business lunches and ostentatious dinners.

— Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026

Definition of ostentatious

Adjective

Claire’s elective death therefore remains a problematic choice for some viewers, an act of vainglorious selfishness from a woman who was never terribly nice to begin with.

— Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2026
Melodramatic and vainglorious, moody and capricious, a fidgety, neurotic hypochondriac, Stalin was a bundle of appalling contradictions.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 Feb. 2026

Definition of vainglorious

Browse Nearby Words

pomposity

pompous

pompously

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Style

“Pompous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pompous. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of pompous

adjective

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