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Definition of pompous - 3 dictionary results

pomp⋅ous

  [pom-puhs]
Use pompous in a Sentence
–adjective
1. characterized by an ostentatious display of dignity or importance: a pompous minor official.
2. ostentatiously lofty or high-flown: a pompous speech.
3. characterized by pomp, stately splendor, or magnificence.
Origin:
1325–75; ME < LL pompōsus. See pomp, -ous

Related forms:
pomp⋅ous⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. pretentious. 2. inflated, turgid, bombastic.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pom·pous   (pŏm'pəs)   
adj.  

  1. Characterized by excessive self-esteem or exaggerated dignity; pretentious: pompous officials who enjoy giving orders.

  2. Full of high-sounding phrases; bombastic: a pompous proclamation.

  3. Chracterized by pomp or stately display; ceremonious: a pompous occasion.


[Middle English, from Old French pompeux, from Late Latin pompōsus, from Latin pompa, pomp; see pomp.]
pom·pos'i·ty (-pŏs'ĭ-tē), pom'pous·ness (-pəs-nĭs) n., pom'pous·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

pompous 
c.1386, "characterized by exaggerated self-importance," from O.Fr. pompeux, from L.L. pomposus "stately, pompous," from L. pompa "pomp" (see pomp). More literal, but less common, meaning "characterized by pomp" is attested from 1430. Pomposity is first recorded 1432, from L.L. pompositas, from pomposus "stately, pompous." The sense of "ostentatious display" is from 1620, earlier in Fr. pomposité.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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