bombastic

English

WOTD – 3 January 2008

Alternative forms

Etymology

From bombast (“padding, stuffing”) +‎ -ic, 18th century. Sense evolution possibly influenced by unrelated bomb and bombard; see also bombard phrase.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /bɒmˈbæs.tɪk/
(US) IPA^(key): /bɑmˈbæs.tɪk/
Audio (US): (file)
Audio (General Australian): (file)
Rhymes: -æstɪk

Adjective

bombastic (comparative more bombastic, superlative most bombastic)

(of a person, their language or writing) showy in speech and given to using flowery or elaborate terms; grandiloquent; pompous
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:verbose, Thesaurus:arrogant

Antonyms: see Thesaurus:concise
High-sounding but with little meaning.
(archaic) Inflated, overfilled.
Synonyms: inflated, turgid

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

→ French: bombastique
→ Portuguese: bombástico
→ Spanish: bombástico

Translations

pompous or overly wordy

Bulgarian: надут (bg) (nadut), претенциозен (bg) (pretenciozen), превзет (bg) (prevzet)
Finnish: bombastinen (fi), mahtipontinen (fi)
French: ampoulé (fr), boursouflé (fr), enflé (fr), pompeux (fr)
German: bombastisch (de), geschwollen (de), pompös (de)
Greek:
Ancient: φυσώδης (phusṓdēs)
Hungarian: bombasztikus (hu), cikornyás (hu), dagályos (hu)
Irish: mórfhoclach
Italian: ampolloso (it), pomposo (it), magniloquente (it) m
Macedonian: на́дуен (náduen), по́мпезен (pómpezen), високо́парен (visokóparen)
Maori: wahahuka
Norwegian:
Bokmål: bombastisk, svulstig

Nynorsk: bombastisk, svulstig
Polish: pompatyczny (pl)
Portuguese: bombástico
Russian: напы́щенный (ru) (napýščennyj), помпе́зный (ru) (pompéznyj), высокопа́рный (ru) (vysokopárnyj)
Slovak: bombastický
Spanish: bombástico, altilocuente (es), altílocuo (es), altisonante (es), altísono (es), ampuloso (es), grandilocuente (es), grandílocuo (es), hinchado (es), hueco (es), pomposo (es), rimbombante (es)

high-sounding but with little meaning

Bulgarian: голословен (bg) (golosloven)
Finnish: mahtipontinen (fi)
French: abscons (fr), verbeux (fr)
German: bombastisch (de)
Hungarian: fellengzős (hu)
Irish: mórfhoclach
Macedonian: изве́штачен (izvéštačen), по́мпезен (pómpezen)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: høystemt, høyttravende (no)

Nynorsk: høgstemt, høgttravande, høgttråvande
Polish: górnolotny (pl)
Russian: напы́щенный (ru) (napýščennyj), помпе́зный (ru) (pompéznyj)

inflated, overfilled

German: bombastisch (de)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: bombastisk, svulstig

Nynorsk: bombastisk, svulstig
Polish: napuszony (pl)
Spanish: bombástico

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from German bombastisch.

Adjective

bombastic m or n (feminine singular bombastică, masculine plural bombastici, feminine and neuter plural bombastice)

bombastic

Declension

		masculine	feminine	masculine	neuter
		singular		plural
nominative- accusative	indefinite	bombastic	bombastică	bombastici	bombastice
nominative- accusative	definite	bombasticul	bombastica	bombasticii	bombasticele
genitive- dative	indefinite	bombastic	bombastice	bombastici	bombastice
genitive- dative	definite	bombasticului	bombasticei	bombasticilor	bombasticelor