bombast

bom·bast

noun \ˈbäm-ˌbast\

Definition of BOMBAST

: pretentious inflated speech or writing

Examples of BOMBAST

1. <the other world leaders at the international conference had little interest in being subjected to the president's bombast>
2. <you need less bombast and more substance in this speech on human rights>

Origin of BOMBAST

Middle English bombast cotton padding, from Middle French bombace, from Medieval Latin bombac-, bombax cotton, alteration of Latin bombyc-, bombyx silkworm, silk, from Greek bombyk-, bombyx

First Known Use: 1583

Related to BOMBAST

Synonyms: bluster, brag, braggadocio, bull [slang], cockalorum, fanfaronade, gas, gasconade, grandiloquence, hot air, magniloquence, rant, rodomontade (also rhodomontade)

Related Words: oratory, rhapsody, rhetoric; pomposity, turgidity, wind; bloviation, verbosity, windiness; babble, blab, chatter, drivel, gabble, gibber, gibberish, jabber, prattle; jawing, patter, prating, yammering; egotism, self-conceit, self-importance, swagger, vaunt

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Other Publishing Terms

annotate, dreadful, emend, expurgate, factoid, jump, lobster shift, redaction, referee

Rhymes with BOMBAST

aghast, at last, avast, bedfast, Belfast, broadcast, bypast, contrast, dicast, dismast, downcast, dynast, fantast, flypast, forecast, foremast, forepassed, full blast, gymnast, half-caste, half-mast, handfast, holdfast, lightfast, mainmast, makefast, march-past, miscast, newscast, oblast, offcast, outcast, outcaste, precast, recast, repast, roughcast, sandblast, sand-cast, shamefast, sportscast, topmast, trade-last, typecast, upcast, webcast, windblast