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Bombast is cotton padding, and bombastic people and their words are all puffed-up and overstuffed--full of inflated, overly wordy language. So yes, bombastic is a fancy word for describing fancy words, much like gr_nd_l_q__nt. The latter has a loftier and slightly kinder tone than bombastic, but please use both with discretion.
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"BOMBASTIC"
Someone or something bombastic uses inappropriately fancy language.
Pronunciation:
bom BASS tick
Part of speech:
Adjective.
(Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late."
They can be used in two ways:
1. Right before a noun, as in "a bombastic thing" or "a bombastic person."
2. After a linking verb, as in "It was bombastic" or "He was bombastic.")
Other common forms:
"Bombast" is the noun (meaning "inappropriately fancy language").
The adverb, "bombastically," is rare.
How to use it:
Use it with discretion: it's a critical, unkind word. So when you must, talk about bombastic people and their bombastic personalities and personas, their bombastic style, their bombastic announcements and pronouncements, their bombastic speeches and remarks, their bombastic exaggeration and rhetoric, etc.
Take care to notice that, according to dictionaries, "bombastic" means "pompous, using fancy words," and that it doesn't mean "arrogant," "swaggering," "overly confident," or (brace yourself) "braggadocious." Certainly there's a lot of crossover here: a bombastic speaker can also be all of those things--arrogant, swaggering and so on--but bombastic speakers, by definition, use fancy, lofty, highfalutin language. If you're using simple words and simple phrases, you're not being bombastic. But that's what dictionaries tell us; popular usage says otherwise. Let's keep an eye on this word and how it's being used. Dictionaries might have to acknowledge soon that it does apply to people who brag and boast in very simplistic language.
examples:
The worst part of any bombastic blog post is the unnecessarily long introduction. We know where you're going with this; just get there, please.
A recent study explores people's ability to detect bombastic nonsense: pseudo-profound statements like "Wholeness quiets infinite phenomena."
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "bombastic" means when you can explain it without saying "puffed-up" or "pompous."
try it out:
Think of a real or fictional person who talks in an overly fancy way. Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) is (a/the) bombastic (type of person)."
Example: "Dr. Terminus is the bombastic villain in Pete's Dragon."
before you review:
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
This month, we're playing with the original and literal meanings of familiar words. I'll give you three words and their original or literal definitions, and you'll match them up. Easy! But then the following day, see if you can recall those old meanings. Hard! :) Our game has two purposes. One, we'll visit the interesting, thought-provoking old meanings of words. And two, we'll remind ourselves of a powerful learning strategy: delayed recalling. Let's play!
First, try to recall from yesterday the original meaning of "diploma" and the literal meanings of "mascara" and "chameleon." Answers appear at the bottom of this issue.
Next, match these words to their original or literal definitions in the answer bank below:
1. "Agree" originally meant _____
2. "Half" originally meant _____
3. "Procrastination" literally means _____
Answer bank:
A. "to please, or to be pleased."
B. "push forward to tomorrow."
C. "side."
review today's word:
1. The opposite of BOMBASTIC is
A. HUMBLE
B. PLAINSPOKEN
C. APPRECIATIVE
2. _____ sounds bombastic to most teenagers today.
A. Basic advice about starting a savings account
B. Shakespeare's writing
C. Pop music
Answers are below.
a final word:
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com
Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes.
Answers to game questions:
1. "Diploma" originally meant "any official document."
2. "Mascara" literally means "a mask or stain."
3. "Chameleon" literally means "a lion on the ground."
Answers to review questions:
1. B
2. B
Bombast is cotton padding, and bombastic people and their words are all puffed-up and overstuffed--full of inflated, overly wordy language. So yes, bombastic is a fancy word for describing fancy words, much like gr_nd_l_q__nt. The latter has a loftier and slightly kinder tone than bombastic, but please use both with discretion.
"BOMBASTIC" Someone or something bombastic uses inappropriately fancy language. Part of speech:
The worst part of any bombastic blog post is the unnecessarily long introduction. We know where you're going with this; just get there, please.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "bombastic" means when you can explain it without saying "puffed-up" or "pompous."
Think of a real or fictional person who talks in an overly fancy way. Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) is (a/the) bombastic (type of person)."
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
1. The opposite of BOMBASTIC is
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com
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