high-sounding
/'hai,saundiɳ/
Definition
Adjective: 1. Pretentious, especially in language or style: Using impressive-sounding words or phrases that are intended to sound important or intelligent but are often empty, exaggerated, or insincere. 2. Grandiose or pompous: Characterized by an inflated, lofty, or bombastic manner of speaking or writing that lacks substance.
Usage
The adjective "high-sounding" is used to describe language, titles, names, or ideas that are deliberately made to seem very impressive, important, or noble, but which are often viewed as exaggerated, deceptive, or lacking in real meaning. It carries a critical or negative connotation, suggesting the speaker or writer is being pretentious.
Examples
- The politician's high-sounding promises about economic reform were never followed by concrete action.
- The company's high-sounding mission statement about "global synergy and paradigm shifts" was just corporate jargon.
- He dismissed the proposal as mere high-sounding rhetoric designed to impress the board.
Advanced Usage
- As a modifier: "high-sounding" is often used directly before nouns like , , , , , , , , , and .
- The decree was full of high-sounding principles but offered no practical guidance.
Variants and Related Words
- High-flown (adj.): Very similar in meaning, describing language or ideas that are excessively elaborate or elevated.
- high-flown rhetoric
- Grandiloquent (adj.): Using lofty, extravagant, or bombastic language.
- Bombastic (adj.): High-sounding but with little meaning; inflated.
- Pretentious (adj.): Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance or merit than is actually possessed.
Synonyms
- Pompous
- Grandiose
- Inflated
- Magniloquent
- Orotund
Antonyms
- Plain-spoken
- Unpretentious
- Modest
- Simple
- Down-to-earth
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing: A famous Shakespearean phrase () that perfectly captures the essence of "high-sounding" language—lots of noise and drama, but no real substance.
Adjective
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pretentious (especially with regard to language or ideals)
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high-flown talk of preserving the moral tone of the school
-
a high-sounding dissertation on the means to attain social revolution
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