pompous

English

Etymology

From Middle English pompous, from Old French pompeux, pompos, from Late Latin pomposus, from Latin pompa (“pomp”), from Ancient Greek πομπή (pompḗ, “a sending, a solemn procession, pomp”), from πέμπω (pémpō, “to send”), equivalent to pomp +‎ -ous. Doublet of pomposo.

Pronunciation

Adjective

pompous (comparative more pompous, superlative most pompous)

  1. Affectedly grand, solemn or self-important.
    Synonyms: conceited, smug, important, highfalutin; see also Thesaurus:arrogant
    Antonyms: humble, modest, self-effacing
    • 1658, Sir Thomas Browne, Hydriotaphia, Urn Burial:
      But man is a Noble Animal, splendid in ashes, and pompous in the grave, solemnizing Nativities and Deaths with equal lustre, nor omitting Ceremonies of bravery, in the infamy of his nature.
    • 1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC:
      , Bantam Classics (1997), 16:
      Not that the parting speech caused Amelia to philosophise, or that it armed her in any way with a calmness, the result of argument; but it was intolerably dull, pompous, and tedious; and having the fear of her schoolmistress greatly before her eyes, Miss Samuel did not venture, in her presence, to give way to any ebullitions of private grief.

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

This page is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.