grandiloquent
/ɡɹænˈdɪl.ə.kwənt/adjective
grandiloquent is spelled G-R-A-N-D-I-L-O-Q-U-E-N-T: 13 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 21 million words in written English, the 139,999th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, grandiloquent means “Given to using language in a showy way by using an excessive number of difficult words to impress others; bombastic; turgid” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in grandiloquent?
| Letters | 13: G-R-A-N-D-I-L-O-Q-U-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 21 million words; the 139,999th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is grandiloquent?
Grandiloquent appears about once in every 21 million words in written English, the 139,999th 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 grandiloquent?
- US /ɡɹænˈdɪl.ə.kwənt/
Grandiloquent has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-grandiloquent.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of grandiloquent
- more grandiloquent comparative
- most grandiloquent superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does grandiloquent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Given to using language in a showy way by using an excessive number of difficult words to impress others; bombastic; turgid.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Grandiloquent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense overly wordy or elaborate:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | grandiloquent |
| Portuguese | grandiloquente |
| Spanish | grandilocuente, rimbombante, grandisonante, grandísono |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does grandiloquent come from?
From Middle French grandiloquent, from Latin grandiloquus, from grandis (“great, full”) + loquēns, present participle of loquor (“to speak”). Compare eloquent.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).