pompous
Acting too grand and important.
pompous in a sentence
- The pompous mayor gave a long speech about how marvellous he was while everyone yawned.
- The pompous head waiter looked down his nose at us and boasted about his grand restaurant.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to pompous?
- Ahumble
- Bself-important
- Cmodest
- Dsimple
Show the answer
B: self-important. The other three mean the opposite of pompous.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to pompous?
- Ahumble
- Bself-important
- Carrogant
- Dconceited
Show the answer
A: humble. The other three mean nearly the same as pompous.
Words that mean something similar
self-important, arrogant, conceited
Words that mean the opposite
humble, modest, simple
More words about character & personality
- prudent: Careful and sensible, thinking ahead before you act.
- quirky: Unusual in an interesting or charming way.
- rascal: A cheeky person who behaves badly in a playful way.
- renowned: Famous and admired by many people.
- resilient: Able to bounce back quickly after something bad happens.
- rogue: Someone who behaves badly or dishonestly, but is often likeable.
- ruthless: Cruel and showing no pity at all.
- savage: Wild and violent.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test