grandiloquence
noun
gran·dil·o·quence gran-ˈdi-lə-kwən(t)s 
: a lofty, extravagantly colorful, pompous, or bombastic style, manner, or quality especially in language
was urged to follow up his grandiloquence with positive action
grandiloquent
gran-ˈdi-lə-kwənt
adjective grandiloquently adverb
Did you know?
Grandiloquence, which debuted in English in the 16th century, is one of several English words pertaining to speech that derive from the Latin loqui, meaning "to speak." Other offspring of loqui include eloquent ("marked by fluent expression"), loquacious ("full of excessive talk"), and soliloquy ("a long, dramatic monologue"). Grandiloquence comes (probably via Middle French) from the Latin adjective grandiloquus, which combines loqui and the adjective grandis ("grand or great"). A word that is very similar in meaning to grandiloquence is magniloquence—and the similarity is not surprising. Magniloquence combines loqui with magnus, another Latin word meaning "great."
Synonyms
- bluster
- bombast
- brag
- braggadocio
- bull [slang]
- cockalorum
- fanfaronade
- gas
- gasconade
- hot air
- magniloquence
- rant
- rodomontade
- rhodomontade
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
a heavyweight champion who was famous for his entertaining grandiloquence prior to every match the predictably wearisome grandiloquence of the speeches at a political convention
Recent Examples on the Web Several of them can fly, and all have at least a touch of grandiloquence to them. 
Michael Nordine, Variety, 11 Aug. 2022 Rylance plays him with chest puffed out into grandiloquence, the painful shuffle of a man with no unbroken bones, and the periodic grace of a pixie. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 14 June 2022 At least some of the grandiloquence proved justified. Idrees Kahloon, The New Yorker, 16 May 2022 Many times, vision statements end up being washed up by grandiloquence. Nacho De Marco, Forbes, 26 Jan. 2022 There will be plenty more rhetoric, pomposity and grandiloquence in the next few weeks as negotiations between the union and MLB get hot and heavy. Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 13 May 2020 Behind the grandiloquence of his note was a young man, alone, under extraordinary stress. Barton Gellman, Washington Post, 11 May 2020 His most recent high-profile job, foreign secretary, found him ill at ease in a role that required more gravitas than grandiloquence. Benjamin Mueller, New York Times, 22 July 2019 Bird never did have the hops to transport himself from one piece of famed parquet to another, but that didn’t stop Pitino from selling the kind of grandiloquence that epitomized the too-good-to-be-true verbiage and essence of the college game. Harvey Araton, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2017 See More
Michael Nordine, Variety, 11 Aug. 2022 Rylance plays him with chest puffed out into grandiloquence, the painful shuffle of a man with no unbroken bones, and the periodic grace of a pixie. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 14 June 2022 At least some of the grandiloquence proved justified. Idrees Kahloon, The New Yorker, 16 May 2022 Many times, vision statements end up being washed up by grandiloquence. Nacho De Marco, Forbes, 26 Jan. 2022 There will be plenty more rhetoric, pomposity and grandiloquence in the next few weeks as negotiations between the union and MLB get hot and heavy. Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 13 May 2020 Behind the grandiloquence of his note was a young man, alone, under extraordinary stress. Barton Gellman, Washington Post, 11 May 2020 His most recent high-profile job, foreign secretary, found him ill at ease in a role that required more gravitas than grandiloquence. Benjamin Mueller, New York Times, 22 July 2019 Bird never did have the hops to transport himself from one piece of famed parquet to another, but that didn’t stop Pitino from selling the kind of grandiloquence that epitomized the too-good-to-be-true verbiage and essence of the college game. Harvey Araton, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
probably from Middle French, from Latin grandiloquus using lofty language, from grandis + loqui to speak
First Known Use
1589, in the meaning defined above
grandiloquent
adjective
1
as in rhetoric
full of fine words and fancy expressions poets in the 19th century tended to write poetry filled with grandiloquent phrases Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- rhetoric
- rhetorical
- ornate
- purple
- eloquent
- florid
- flowery
- high-flown
- hifalutin
- high-sounding
- boastful
- highfalutin
- aureate
- grandiose
- pretentious
- pompous
- bombastic
- excessive
- inflated
- stilted
- magnific
- bloated
- fulsome
- affected
- flattering
- fancy-pants
- lofty
- learned
- bookish
- elevated
- inkhorn
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- prosaic
- unpoetic
- simple
- straightforward
- unadorned
- plain
- direct
- lean
- bald
- spare
- stark
- unpretentious
- plainspoken
- natural
- matter-of-fact
- unaffected
2
as in rhetorical
marked by the use of impressive-sounding but mostly meaningless words and phrases at Independence Day celebrations grandiloquent speeches by local politicians are as traditional as fireworks Synonyms & Similar Words
- rhetoric
- rhetorical
- bombastic
- pontifical
- inflated
- oratorical
- fustian
- flatulent
- orotund
- grandiose
- gaseous
- gassy
- ornate
- pretentious
- pompous
- florid
- turgid
- windy
- high-flown
- lofty
- flowery
- stilted
- high-sounding
- hifalutin
- highfalutin
- wordy
- bloated
- verbose
- tumid
- elevated
- overdone
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- eloquent
- unrhetorical
- simple
- unpretentious
- unadorned
- straightforward
- plain
- plainspoken
- direct
- unaffected
- bald
- stark
- well-spoken
- matter-of-fact
- pathological drunkenness
- pathological illusion
- pathological intoxication
- pathological signalment
- pathologically
- pathologico-
- pathologies
- pathologise
- pathologised
- pathologising
- pathologist
- pathologists
- pathologize
- pathologized
- pathologizing
- pathology
- pathometer
- pathoneurosis
- pathophobia
- pathophysiologic
- pathophysiological
- pathophysiologies
- pathophysiology
- pathos
- pathoses