bombast
bom·bast/ˈbɑmbæst/noun, verb, adjective
bombast is spelled B-O-M-B-A-S-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables (bom·bast). It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 69,055th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, bombast means “High-sounding words; language above the dignity of the occasion; a pompous or ostentatious manner of writing or speaking” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bombast is bombasts.
How many letters and syllables are in bombast?
| Letters | 7: B-O-M-B-A-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: bom·bast |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 69,055th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is bombast?
Bombast appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 69,055th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce bombast?
- UK /ˈbɒmbæst/
- US /ˈbɑmbæst/
- /ˈbʌmbæst/
Bombast has 2 syllables, split bom·bast in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-bombast.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of bombast
- bombasts plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- bombasting participle, present
- bombasted participle, past
- more bombast comparative
- most bombast superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bombast mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
archaicCotton, or cotton wool.
- 2
archaicCotton, or any soft, fibrous material, used as stuffing for garments; stuffing, padding.
- 3
High-sounding words; language above the dignity of the occasion; a pompous or ostentatious manner of writing or speaking.
verb
- 1
To swell or fill out; to inflate, to pad.
- 2
To use high-sounding words; to speak or write in a pompous or ostentatious manner.
adjective
- 1
Big without meaning, or high-sounding; bombastic, inflated; magniloquent.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does bombast come from?
From Old French bombace (“cotton, cotton wadding”), from Late Latin bombax (“cotton”), a variant of bombyx (“silkworm”), from Ancient Greek βόμβυξ (bómbux, “silkworm”), possibly related to Middle Persian pmbk' (“cotton”), from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to twist, wind”.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).