rimbombante
/rimbomˈbante/
To say bombastic in Spanish, meaning high sounding but with little meaning, use rimbombante.
rimbombante describes language, titles or people that are showy and flamboyant but empty.
Meaning: high-sounding but with little meaning (adj)
Which one should you use?
Grandilocuente describes someone who uses grand, exaggerated language. Altisonante describes a style of speech that is loud, high flown and too pretentious. rimbombante stresses showiness.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, lenguaje ampuloso is used for bombastic language.
How do you pronounce it?
rimbombante is pronounced /rimbomˈbante/, with the stress on the third syllable and a rolled r at the start.
Did you know?
- While 'bombastic' in English comes from a word meaning 'stuffing', the Spanish rimbombante is based on the physical sound of an echoing drum.
- The word ampuloso shares a linguistic root with ampolla, which can mean either a 'bubble' or a 'blister'.
- The verb rimbombar is an onomatopoeic word that mimics the deep resonance of a heavy drum or a trumpet blast.
Examples in context
- 2005, https://web.archive.org/web/20070304083812/http://www.educared.org.ar/tamtam/archivos/mundo_web_octdic_2005/There are many micronations and they have very different purposes. Some are exercises in political or economic theory, with which to explore the notion of national statehood and evaluate its alternatives, others, personal pastimes, and there the [creator] delights in creating the symbology of that artificial country and in granting bombastic titles of nobility to his friends and acquaintances, others are forms of artistic experimentation.This passage, from an Argentine website in 2005, uses the word to describe grand titles of nobility handed out to friends.
- El político fue grandilocuente en su discursoThe politician was bombastic in his speech
- El discurso del profesor fue rimbombante y cargado de palabras grandilocuentesThe professor's speech was bombastic and full of grandiloquent words
- Su tono altisonante no impresionó a nadieHis bombastic tone didn't impress anyone
- No hagas caso a Pedro, es un fanfarrónDon't pay attention to Pedro, he's bombastic
- Su discurso fue muy rimbombante pero vacío.His speech was very bombastic but empty.
- No me gusta ese estilo de escritura rimbombante.I don't like that bombastic writing style.
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are discussing a book they just read.
- Lucía¿Qué te pareció el nuevo libro de ese autor?What did you think of that author's new book?
- DanielMe pareció un poco rimbombante y aburrido.I found it a bit bombastic and boring.
- LucíaTienes razón, usa palabras demasiado complicadas.You're right, he uses words that are too complicated.
- DanielExacto, no dice nada importante realmente.Exactly, he doesn't actually say anything important.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry rimbombante, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
