POMPOUS Synonyms: 192 Similar and Opposite Words

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

Breaking down the song of the summer debate Music reviewers on social media are, more often than not, pretentious snobs who take themselves too seriously, but Mic The Snare is a welcome change of pace.

— Moises Mendez II, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of pretentious

Adjective

Turns out America’s enthusiasm for itself has gone into a bit of a rut—more than 80% of Americans felt proud in 2010, but only 53% feel that way today.

— Jim Edwards, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
The New York Film Festival is proud to welcome back Cinephile for our fifth year of NYFF Trivia Night events during the festival at the EBM Amphitheater!

— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 27 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

Nate Stickney / Rumble Ponies Rojas’ necklace, derived from a joke with his little brother, is small and less ostentatious than its message.

— Tim Britton, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026
Every material has been selected to age gracefully, while subtle craftsmanship and tactile finishes ensure that interiors are refined without ever feeling ostentatious.

— Nick Scott, Robb Report, 22 Aug. 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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Cite this Entry

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“Pompous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pompous. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of pompous

adjective

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