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

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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

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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

The arrogant, brooding youth is gone almost entirely, and someone far more circumspect and humbled kneels before his older brother.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
The Fight for the Soul of College Football, as the Hurricanes’ bold, brash and arrogant style transformed college football into something closer to theater.

— Emile Nuh, CNN Money, 9 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

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
The Majestic espouses a traditional luxury hotel style without feeling stuffy or pretentious.

— Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 7 July 2026

Definition of pretentious

Adjective

This Queens bakery comes from two restaurant-industry veterans and proud Filipinos Kimberly Camara and Kevin Borja, who started a pop-up back in 2020 and quickly developed a cult following that demanded a brick-and-mortar.

— Kyle Beechey, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Aug. 2026
Salesforce is proud to be an early investor, customer, and partner.

— Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of proud

Adjective

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
The Rays, meanwhile, may be leading the American League East, but their postseason outlook is not as grandiose as Los Angeles.

— John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of grandiose

Adjective

They are expected to become wiser but not louder, visible but not vain, accomplished but not demanding, and well-preserved but not provocative.

— Debbie Millman, Time, 25 July 2026
Where some may see this behavior as vain or egotistical, others may perceive it as bold, self-assured and passionate.

— Mallorie Sullivan, USA Today, 20 July 2026

Definition of vain

Adjective

His informal getup, a T-shirt and shorts, contrasts with the elegant environment primed for business lunches and ostentatious dinners.

— Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026
Decorated with cool gray tones, marble and leather accents, and crisp white bedding, the rooms feel upscale but not ostentatious.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 June 2026

Definition of ostentatious

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

Browse Nearby Words

pomposity

pompous

pompously

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“Pompous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pompous. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of pompous

adjective

Example Sentences

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