Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of pompous

68 similar words · 3 opposite words

Another word for pompous is self-important. Other synonyms of pompous are arrogant, vain, cocky, smug and presumptuous. The opposite of pompous is modest.

Synonyms and similar words for pompous

adjectiveAffectedly grand, solemn or self-important.

  • conceited
  • smugIrritatingly pleased with oneself; offensively self-complacent, self-satisfied.
  • importantPompous; self-important.
  • highfalutinSelf-important, pompous; arrogant or egotistical.
  • airy
  • arrogantHaving excessive pride in oneself, often with contempt or disrespect for others.
  • chesty informal
  • authoritarian
  • biggityConceited, uppity.
  • big-headed slang
  • blusteryPompous or arrogant, especially in one's speech; given to outbursts.
  • turgescent formalBecoming turgid or swollen.
  • boastfulTending to boast or brag.
  • lordly
  • bombasticShowy in speech and given to using flowery or elaborate terms; grandiloquent; pompous.
  • cockyOverly confident; arrogant and boastful.
  • disdainfulShowing contempt or scorn; having a pronounced lack of concern for others viewed as unworthy.
  • domineeringOverbearing, dictatorial or authoritarian.
  • egotistical
  • entitled
  • flauntingThat flaunts; showy or gaudy.
  • full of oneselfEgotistical, believing oneself to be superior to others; preoccupied with one's own work, interests, point of view, etc.
  • grandiosePompous or pretentious.
  • hanktyOverbearing; pompous.
  • haughtyConveying in demeanour the assumption of superiority; disdainful, supercilious.
  • high-handedUsing power or authority without proper consideration for the feelings or rights of others.
  • high-hat colloquialDisdainful; haughty.
  • high and mighty
  • hoity-toity colloquialAffected or pretentious, sometimes with the implication of displaying an air of excessive fanciness or ostentation...
  • holier-than-thouHypocritically or self-righteously pious; sanctimonious; smugly morally superior.
  • hubristicOf or relating to hubris (“excessive arrogance or pride, or presumption”); hence, overly arrogant or proud, or...
  • hubristicalHubristic.
  • imperious
  • inflatedPompous; arrogant (of a person or ego).
  • insolentRude.
  • la-di-da
  • ostentatious
  • overbearingOverly bossy, domineering, arrogant, forceful, intense, or annoying.
  • overweeningUnduly confident; (sometimes also) arrogant.
  • presumptuousMaking unwarranted presumptions or assumptions, often out of arrogance or excessive self-confidence, and thus exceeding...
  • pretentious
  • priggishLike a prig.
  • puffed up
  • sanctimoniousMaking a show of being morally better than others, especially hypocritically pious.
  • self-importantHaving, or behaving as if having, too high an opinion of one's own importance.
  • snobbish slangHaving the property of being a snob; arrogant and pretentious; smugly superior or dismissive of perceived inferiors.
  • snooty slangHaughty, pompous, snobbish; inclined to turn up one's nose.
  • snotty slang
  • stout
  • stuck up slang
  • superciliousArrogantly superior; showing contemptuous indifference; haughty.
  • thrasonicThrasonical.
  • thrasonicalBoastful, bragging, vainglorious.
  • toplofticalHaughty, hoity-toity, superior.
  • toploftySelf-important, haughty.
  • tumidPompous, bombastic.
  • turgidOverly complex and difficult to understand; grandiloquent; bombastic.
  • uppish
  • uppityPresumptuous, above oneself, self-important; arrogant, snobbish, haughty.
  • uppySynonym of uppity.
  • upstageHaughty, aloof.
  • vainOverly proud of oneself, especially concerning appearance; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with...
  • buggish dialectal, obsoleteUppity.
  • flatulent obsolete
  • glorious obsoleteExcessively proud or boastful.
  • haught obsoleteHaughty.
  • haut obsolete
  • orgulous archaic, literaryArrogant, haughty, proud.

Opposite of pompous

adjectiveAffectedly grand, solemn or self-important.

  • humble
  • modestNot bragging or boasting about oneself or one's achievements; unpretentious, humble.
  • self-effacingShy, extremely humble and modest; making oneself seem unnoticeable.

Meaning of pompous

  1. adjective Affectedly grand, solemn or self-important.

Full definition of pompous

pompous in other languages

Questions about synonyms of pompous

What is another word for pompous?
Pompous has 68 synonyms on Word.ws, such as self-important, arrogant, vain, cocky, smug, presumptuous, haughty and bombastic.
What is the opposite of pompous?
The opposite of pompous is modest. Other antonyms of pompous are self-effacing.
What does pompous mean?
Pompous means affectedly grand, solemn or self-important.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: pompous (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “Synonyms of pompous.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/pompous. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.