1
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
2
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
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3
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pompous
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and María Luisa Manrique de Lara y Gonzaga (a rather pompous name that encompassed two major hereditary estates, a principality, a county, a marquisate, and, for a time, a viceroyalty) met in 1680 in Mexico City.
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Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
His portrayal of a pompous, yapping intellectual who's rotten to the core rings uncomfortably true, as do the performances of Thatcher and East as their characters nonverbally communicate their discomfort to each other.
—Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Guigal’s strategy isn’t built on pompous conservatism, but in long-term thinking.
—Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Louis Partridge will take on the scheming Mr Wickham, with Jamie Demetriou playing the pompous Mr Collins, Daryl McCormack as Jane’s beloved Mr Bingley, Siena Kelly as his sister Caroline and Shaw as the fearsome Lady Catherine de Bourg.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pompous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pompous
Adjective
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This version of Ryan was arrogant, unable to conceal pride in his accomplishment.—
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So long as that situation continues, the 43-year-old’s allegedly arrogant and stand-offish treatment of his players will not worry the club hierarchy too much.—
Adjective
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But that poem is no smug cliché.—
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Marcello is looking especially smug and evil in this scene for reasons unclear.—
Adjective
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Jonathan’s making pretentious anti-capitalist films at NYU.—
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But Keens is not a pretentious place.—
Adjective
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South Florida sports history is proud to have been the host for Crump’s barrier-busting history.—
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The Big Ten is marching into the heart of Southern football with a proud swagger, daring any conference to challenge its claim as the power to beat in the College Football Playoff.—
Adjective
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The Minneapolis steakhouse channels that grandiose 1940s architecture in its design, dreamed up by Wilson Ishihara.—
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Coin studied and transformed the grandiose palazzo designs into wearable works of art.—
Adjective
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Governments such as those of Spain and Italy demanded in vain the release of several of its nationals.—
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Some tribes in the region that traditionally hold First Salmon feasts to welcome the arrival of spring salmon from the ocean have waited for their catch in vain, forcing them to ask other tribes to donate a fish, Gobin said.—
Adjective
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Besides, $500 gets you a pretty decent phone these days — without ostentatious gold and a close affiliation with a president who has a decades-long track record of launching and sinking well over a dozen businesses.—
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Underneath all the spandex and over-the-top production numbers is a sincere film that cares as much about sharing the joy of music as satirizing its ostentatious performance.—
Adjective
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And women who foreground themselves in any capacity are often perceived to be self-important drama queens, or narcissists.—
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Jeffrey Tambor Known for playing the pompous, self-important mayor of Whoville, Jeffery Tambor also has an esteemed career across television and film.—
Cite this Entry
“Pompous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pompous. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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