To accentuate something is to emphasize it or make it more noticeable.
Something austere is simple and plain in its style; an austere person is strict and severe with themself.
When a person is speaking or writing in a bombastic fashion, they are very self-centered, extremely showy, and excessively proud.
Braggadocio is an excessively proud way of talking about your achievements or possessions that can annoy others.
Bumptious people are annoying because they are too proud of their abilities or opinions—they are full of themselves.
Decorous appearance or behavior is respectable, polite, and appropriate for a given occasion.
If you describe someone, usually a young woman, as demure, you mean that she is quiet, shy, and always behaves modestly.
Someone who is diffident is shy, does not want to draw notice to themself, and is lacking in self-confidence.
An exorbitant price or fee is much higher than what it should be or what is considered reasonable.
An extravaganza is an elaborate production or spectacular display that is meant to entertain, often in an excessive fashion.
If someone or something is flamboyant, the former is trying to show off in a way that deliberately attracts attention, and the latter is brightly colored and highly decorated.
Something florid has too much decoration or is too elaborate.
Someone who is frugal spends very little money—and even then only on things that are absolutely necessary.
Praise, an apology, or gratitude is fulsome if it is so exaggerated and elaborate that it does not seem sincere.
Something garish is very bright and colorful but in an ugly, cheap, and showy way.
If something is gilded, it has been deceptively given a more attractive appearance than it normally possesses; a very thin layer of gold often covers something gilded.
Grandiloquent speech is highly formal, exaggerated, and often seems both silly and hollow because it is expressly used to appear impressive and important.
If you describe someone’s behavior as histrionic, you disapprove of it because it is overly loud, dramatic, emotional, and insincere.
Something that is inconspicuous does not attract attention and is not easily seen or noticed because it is small or ordinary.
If something is inordinate, it is much larger in amount or degree than is normally expected.
An irreproachable person is very honest and so morally upright that their behavior cannot be criticized.
Lavish praise, giving, or a meal is rich, plentiful, or very generous; it can sometimes border on being too much.
Something luxuriant, such as plants or hair, is growing well and is very healthy.
When you are acting in a melodramatic way, you are overreacting to something in an overly dramatic and exaggerated way.
Something that is opulent is very impressive, grand, and is made from expensive materials.
An ornate object is heavily or excessively decorated with complicated shapes and patterns.
If you describe an action as ostentatious, you think it is an extreme and exaggerated way of impressing people.
A palatial structure is grand and impressive, such as a palace or mansion.
To be politic in a decision is to be socially wise and diplomatic.
If you are pompous, you think that you are better than other people; therefore, you tend to show off and be highly egocentric.
If you are pretentious, you think you are really great in some way and let everyone know about it, despite the fact that it’s not the case at all.
People who are reticent are unwilling to share information, especially about themselves, their thoughts, or their feelings.
A spartan lifestyle is very simple and severe; it has no luxuries or comforts.
A stentorian voice is extremely loud and strong.
Something that is unadorned is not made more attractive with ornament or decoration.
Someone who is unassuming is not boastful or arrogant; rather, they are modest or humble.
A feeling that is unbridled is enthusiastic and unlimited in its expression.
If someone acts in an unobtrusive way, their actions are not easily noticed and do not stand out in any way.
Something that is vaunted, such as someone’s ability, is too highly praised and boasted about.
Adj.
grandiose
gran-dee-OHS
Context
Fatima had some grandiose or impressive ideas for her new building. She wanted to construct a grandiose or magnificent structure that would be the most elegant and sophisticated around. Her architecture firm was known for its beautiful and sometimes excessively large or grandiose buildings. Their monstrous structures put some people off, since they were thought to be too grandiose or showed off too much.
Quiz:Try again!
What is an example of a grandiose celebration?
It is a relatively small and modest event from which everyone leaves satisfied and happy that they went.
It is needlessly expensive, poorly planned, and ultimately a failed event that few people attend.
It involves huge amounts of food, expensive decorations, and an impressive guest list.
Grand Nose Grandpa's grand nose was simply grandiose!
Examples
The large structure all around it, the large plaza, the porticos, the columns, the staircases, all of that, were built up by Herod the Great on a monumental scale, filling up something like 10 football fields. We then have a very large, very conspicuous, grandiose structure in the center of Jerusalem.
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Newsweek
The grandiose post office building, which occupies an entire city block, was built in 1912 along with the original Pennsylvania Station—and is widely recognizable thanks to its all-white facade and Corinthian colonnade.
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The New York Post
A big spiral escalator swoops up towards a raised version of an existing dome in the sort of traditionally grandiose gesture that doesn’t feel right here. Some of the more humble parts of the existing building, the things that give it its everydayness, tend to be scrubbed away.
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The Guardian
Anything grandiose is “full of great, lofty, or powerful” aspects.
Word Theater
Megamind This supervillain demonstrates how to make an impression—in a grandiose manner!
The panel shows a small video clip of either the word in actual use or a scene that represents the meaning of a word. This not only breaks up the monotony of studying words but also provides another avenue to strengthen word meaning. Enjoy!
