Well-read · Talking & language · Arguing & persuading
Bombast: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Bombast noun. Inflated, pompous language with little real meaning.
How to say it
BOM-bast/ˈbɒmbast/
2 syllables, stressed on the first (BOM).
Bombast in a sentence
Under all the bombast about 'world-beating' plans there wasn't a single date.
The candidate's bombast went down well at rallies and badly in interviews.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- grandiloquence
- pomposity
- bluster
- hot air
Opposite:
- plain speaking
- restraint
Where bombast comes from
First cotton padding for clothes, from Old French bombace, from Latin bombyx, silk.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The candidate's _____ went down well at rallies and badly in interviews.
- bombast
- platitude
- harangue
Show the answer
bombast: The candidate's bombast went down well at rallies and badly in interviews.