orotund
adjective
oro·tund ˈȯr-ə-ˌtənd 
ˈär-
1
: marked by fullness, strength, and clarity of sound : sonorous
an orotund voice
2
: pompous, bombastic
an orotund speech
orotundity
ˌȯr-ə-ˈtən-də-tē
noun ˌär-
Did you know?
The Latin roots of orotund are related to two more common English words—oral and rotund. Latin or- means "mouth," and rotundus means "round" or "circular." The Roman poet Horace joined forms of those Latin terms to create the phrase ore rotundo, literally meaning "with round mouth," and figuratively meaning "with well-turned speech." Ore rotundo was modified to orotund and adopted into English in the late 18th century. It can indicate either strength of delivery or inflated wording.
Synonyms
- golden
- plangent
- resonant
- resounding
- reverberant
- reverberating
- reverberative
- ringing
- rotund
- round
- sonorous
- vibrant
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
the tenor's orotund voice was just what this soaring aria needs a master of the orotund prose that is favored by academic journals of literary criticism
Recent Examples on the Web Novoselov had a boisterous, orotund way of talking that even the interpreter seemed to have trouble making sense of. 
Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2021 The speaker’s orotund oratory, his mannered put-downs, his mock pretentiousness, his pompous, practiced, often hilarious jawing will be no more. Karla Adam, Washington Post, 31 Oct. 2019
Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2021 The speaker’s orotund oratory, his mannered put-downs, his mock pretentiousness, his pompous, practiced, often hilarious jawing will be no more. Karla Adam, Washington Post, 31 Oct. 2019 Word History
Etymology
modification of Latin ore rotundo, literally, with round mouth
First Known Use
1799, in the meaning defined at sense 1
orotund
adjective
1
as in ringing
marked by conspicuously full and rich sounds or tones the tenor's orotund voice was just what this soaring aria needs Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- ringing
- round
- sonorous
- reverberant
- rotund
- resonant
- loud
- vibrant
- reverberating
- plangent
- mellow
- golden
- mellifluous
- powerful
- resounding
- stentorian
- deep
- rich
- reverberative
- mellifluent
- thunderous
- plummy
- thundering
- full
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- hollow
- cavernous
- soft
- low
- muted
- weak
- murmurous
- faint
- thin
- tinny
- smothered
2
as in rhetoric
marked by the use of impressive-sounding but mostly meaningless words and phrases a master of the orotund prose that is favored by academic journals of literary criticism Synonyms & Similar Words
- rhetoric
- rhetorical
- grandiloquent
- pontifical
- fustian
- bombastic
- inflated
- flatulent
- oratorical
- gaseous
- tumid
- gassy
- florid
- turgid
- ornate
- pompous
- hifalutin
- windy
- grandiose
- high-flown
- flowery
- stilted
- highfalutin
- lofty
- pretentious
- high-sounding
- verbose
- bloated
- wordy
- elevated
- overdone
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- eloquent
- unadorned
- plain
- unrhetorical
- bald
- plainspoken
- unpretentious
- straightforward
- direct
- simple
- unaffected
- stark
- well-spoken
- matter-of-fact