pompous
Intermediatezipf 3.06Pronunciation
/ˈpɒmpəs/(POM-pus)
Part of speech
adjectivenegative
Chinese
自大的;浮夸的;装腔作势的
Definition
Affectedly grand, solemn, or self-important; displaying an exaggerated sense of one's own importance.
Word family
- pomposity/pɒmˈpɒsɪti/(n)自大
- pompously(adv)自大地
Collocations
- pompous speech
- pompous attitude
- pompous fool
- pompous tone
- pompous official
Examples
- 1.The pompous bureaucrat insisted on being addressed by his full title at all times. (self-important)
- 2.His pompous writing style — full of unnecessarily complex words — obscured rather than illuminated his ideas. (pretentiously grand)
Synonyms
- pretentious/prɪˈtɛnʃəs/— trying to appear more important than one is
- arrogant/ˈærəɡənt/— having an exaggerated sense of self-worth
- grandiose/ˈɡrændiˌoʊs/— impressive or ambitious in scale — often negatively
Etymology
from Latin "pomposus" (stately) — "pompa" (procession, display) from Greek "pompe" (a sending, a solemn procession)