bombast

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: bom=bast

CIDE DICTIONARY

bombast, n. [OF. bombace cotton, LL. bombax cotton, bombasium a doublet of cotton; hence, padding, wadding, fustian. See Bombazine.].

•  Originally, cotton, or cotton wool.  [1913 Webster]

  "A candle with a wick of bombast."  [1913 Webster]
•  Cotton, or any soft, fibrous material, used as stuffing for garments; stuffing; padding.  [1913 Webster]

  "How now, my sweet creature of bombast!"  [1913 Webster]

  "Doublets, stuffed with four, five, or six pounds of bombast at least."  [1913 Webster]
•  Fig.: High-sounding words; an inflated style; language above the dignity of the occasion; fustian.  [1913 Webster]

  "Yet noisy bombast carefully avoid."  [1913 Webster]

bombast, a. 

 High-sounding; inflated; big without meaning; magniloquent; bombastic.  [1913 Webster]
"[He] evades them with a bombast circumstance,
Horribly stuffed with epithets of war."  [1913 Webster]
"Nor a tall metaphor in bombast way."  [1913 Webster]

bombast, v. t. 

 To swell or fill out; to pad; to inflate.  [1913 Webster]
"Not bombasted with words vain ticklish ears to feed."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

bombast, n. pompous or extravagant language.

Derivative

bombastic adj. bombastically adv.

Etymology

earlier bombace cotton wool f. F f. med.L bombax -acis alt. f. bombyx; see BOMBAZINE

THESAURUS

bombast

absurdity, amphigory, babble, babblement, balderdash, bibble-babble, blabber, blather, bluster, boast, boastfulness, boasting, bombastry, brag, braggadocio, braggartism, bragging, bravado, claptrap, conceit, double-talk, drivel, drool, fanfaronade, fiddle-faddle, fiddledeedee, flatulence, flummery, folderol, fudge, fustian, gabble, galimatias, gammon, gasconade, gasconism, gibber, gibberish, gibble-gabble, gobbledygook, grandiloquence, heroics, highfalutin, hocus-pocus, hot air, humbug, jabber, jactation, jactitation, jargon, lexiphanicism, magniloquence, mumbo jumbo, narrishkeit, niaiserie, nonsense, orotundity, pack of nonsense, palaver, prate, prattle, puffery, pyrotechnics, rant, rhapsody, rhetoric, rigamarole, rigmarole, rodomontade, rubbish, sesquipedality, show, side, skimble-skamble, stuff and nonsense, stultiloquence, swagger, trash, trumpery, tumidity, turgidity, twaddle, twattle, twiddle-twaddle, vanity, vaporing, vaunt, vauntery, vaunting, waffling

ROGET THESAURUS

bombast

Ornament

N ornament, floridness c, adj, turgidity, turgescence, altiloquence, declamation, teratology, well-rounded periods, elegance, orotundity, inversion, antithesis, alliteration, paronomasia, figurativeness, flourish, flowers of speech, flowers of rhetoric, frills of style, euphuism, euphemism, big-sounding words, high-sounding words, macrology, sesquipedalia verba, Alexandrine, inflation, pretension, rant, bombast, fustian, prose run mad, fine writing, sesquipedality, Minerva press, phrasemonger, euphuist, euphemist, ornament, beautified, ornate, florid, rich, flowery, euphuistic, euphemistic, sonorous, high-sounding, big-sounding, inflated, swelling, tumid, turgid, turgescent, pedantic, pompous, stilted, orotund, high flown, high flowing, sententious, rhetorical, declamatory, grandiose, grandiloquent, magniloquent, altiloquent, sesquipedal, sesquipedalian, Johnsonian, mouthy, bombastic, fustian, frothy, flashy, flaming, antithetical, alliterative, figurative, artificial, ore rutundo, ornament, ornamentation, ornamental art, ornature, ornateness, adornment, decoration, embellishment, architecture, jewelry, garnish, polish, varnish, French polish, veneer, japanning, lacquer, gilding, plating, ormolu, enamel, cloisonn_e, cosmetics (in general), makeup, eye shadow, rouge, face powder, lipstick, blush, pattern, diaper, powdering, paneling, graining, pargeting, detail, repousse (convexity), texture, richness, tracery, molding, fillet, listel, strapwork, coquillage, flourish, fleur-de-lis, arabesque, fret, anthemion, egg and tongue, egg and dart, astragal, zigzag, acanthus, cartouche, pilaster, bead, beading, champleve ware, cloisonne ware, frost work, Moresque, Morisco, tooling, embroidery, brocade, brocatelle, galloon, lace, fringe, trapping, border, edging, trimming, hanging, tapestry, arras, millinery, ermine, drap d'or, wreath, festoon, garland, chaplet, flower, nosegay, bouquet, posy, daisies pied and violets blue, tassel knot, shoulder knot, apaulette, epaulet, aigulet, frog, star, rosette, bow, feather, plume, pompom, panache, aigrette, finery, frippery, gewgaw, gimcrack, tinsel, spangle, clinquant, pinchbeck, paste, excess of ornament, gaud, pride, illustration, illumination, vignette, fleuron, head piece, tail piece, cul-de-lampe, flowers of rhetoric, work of art, ornamented, beautified, ornate, rich, gilt, begilt, tesselated, festooned, champleve, cloisonne, topiary, smart, gay, trickly, flowery, glittering, new gilt, new spangled, fine as a Mayday queen, fine as a fivepence, fine as a carrot fresh scraped, pranked out, bedight, well-groomed, in full dress, dressed to kill, dressed to the nines, dressed to advantage, in Sunday best, en grand tenue, en grande toilette, in best bib and tucker, endimanche, showy, flashy, gaudy, garish, gairish, gorgeous, ornamental, decorative, becoming.

Ridiculousness

N ridiculousness, comicality, oddity, extravagance, drollery, farce, comedy, burlesque, buffoonery, frippery, doggerel verses, absurdity, bombast, anticlimax, bathos, eccentricity, monstrosity, laughingstock, ridiculous, ludicrous, comical, droll, funny, laughable, pour rire, grotesque, farcical, odd, whimsical, whimsical as a dancing bear, fanciful, fantastic, queer, rum, quizzical, quaint, bizarre, screaming, eccentric, strange, outlandish, out of the way, baroque, weird, awkward, extravagant, outre, monstrous, preposterous, bombastic, inflated, stilted, burlesque, mock heroic, drollish, seriocomic, tragicomic, gimcrack, contemptible, doggerel, ironical, risible, risum teneatis amici, rideret Heraclitus, du sublime au ridicule il n'y a qu'un pas.

Boasting

N boasting, boast, vaunt, crake, pretense, pretensions, puff, puffery, flourish, fanfaronade, gasconade, blague, bluff, gas, highfalutin, highfaluting, hot air, spread-eagleism, brag, braggardism, bravado, bunkum, buncombe, jactitation, jactancy, bounce, venditation, vaporing, rodomontade, bombast, fine talking, tall talk, magniloquence, teratology, heroics, Chauvinism, exaggeration, vanity, vox et praeterea nihil, much cry and little wool, brutum fulmen, exultation, gloriation, glorification, flourish of trumpets, triumph, boaster, braggart, braggadocio, Gascon, fanfaron, pretender, soi-disant, blower, bluffer, Foxy Quiller, blusterer, charlatan, jack-pudding, trumpeter, puppy, boasting, magniloquent, flaming, Thrasonic, stilted, gasconading, braggart, boastful, pretentious, soi-disant, vainglorious, highfalutin, highfaluting, spread- eagle, elate, elated, jubilant, triumphant, exultant, in high feather, flushed, flushed with victory, cock-a-hoop, on stilts, vaunted, vauntingly, let the galled jade wince, facta non verba.

Unmeaningness

N meaninglessness, unmeaningness, scrabble, empty sound, dead letter, vox et praeterea nihil, a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing, sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal, nonsense, utter nonsense, gibberish, jargon, jabber, mere words, hocus-pocus, fustian, rant, bombast, balderdash, palaver, flummery, verbiage, babble, baverdage, baragouin, platitude, niaiserie, inanity, flap-doodle, rigmarole, rodomontade, truism, nugae canorae, twaddle, twattle, fudge, trash, garbage, humbug, poppy-cock, stuff, stuff and nonsense, bosh, rubbish, moonshine, wish-wash, fiddle- faddle, absurdity, vagueness, boilerplate, clich_¬, unmeaning, meaningless, senseless, nonsensical, void of sense, inexpressive, unexpressive, vacant, not significant, insignificant, trashy, washy, trumpery, trivial, fiddle-faddle, twaddling, quibbling, unmeant, not expressed, tacit, inexpressible, undefinable, incommunicable.