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large

large

13 8.2
Using grand or showy language to seem important
  • adjective
  • /lɑrdʒ/
translation icon : pomposo
  • His speech was filled with large claims that impressed the audience.

Examples

  • The words he wrote were as large as houses in a landscape.

    Blog text (3)
  • One was a large text file with a series of jokes; some of them were even funny.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The next day, the newspaper announced my death in large letters, headlining the article with the following words:

    Academic text (2007)
  • First, it's slightly cheaper, and second, it has the words "Don't Panic" printed in large, friendly letters on its cover.

  • Some of his ideas are useful, but by and large they represent piecemeal extensions of long-standing policies.

    Academic text (2004)
  • The author tends to write with a large vocabulary that can overwhelm readers.

  • She has a tendency to use large metaphors to emphasize her points.

Synonyms

overblown
vslarge
28 5.7

Exaggerated and showy in style or speech

is pompous and elevated but specifically implies self-important exaggeration
grandiose
vslarge
27 7.5

Too big and showy in a way that tries to seem more important than it is

is grand in tone but specifically tied to self-important exaggeration
high-and-mighty
vslarge
  • Offensive
20 8.2

Acting as if you are better than other people

is mainly about pompous written or spoken style, not attitude
bombastic
vslarge
12 8.5

Using big, showy words that have little real meaning

is pompous too but focuses more on lofty exaggeration than emptiness
turgid
vslarge
  • Formal
3 8.9

Language that uses long, fancy words to seem important but is hard to read

is pompous but more about showing importance than just being tedious
high-sounding
vslarge
1 8.2

Seeming important or impressive but lacking real meaning and honesty

is impressive in tone but emphasizes self-importance rather than emptiness
grandiloquent
vslarge
  • Literature
1 9.9

Using long, fancy words to sound important

leans toward pompous expression with added self-importance and exaggeration
high-flown
vslarge
1 8.9

Using words or ideas that sound grand and showy but feel unrealistic

is elevated and pompous but stresses self-importance more clearly
declamatory
vslarge
  • Formal
1 8.3

Speaking loudly and in a dramatic way to try to impress people

is pompous in wording but focuses more on pride than performance
orotund
vslarge
  • Formal
9.9

Speech or writing that uses very grand, showy language

is similarly pompous but adds clear self-importance and exaggeration
magniloquent
vslarge
  • Formal
9.9

To use very big, showy words to sound important

uses the same high style but with more self-important flair
tumid
vslarge
  • Literature
9.9

Speech or writing that uses big words to seem important

shares inflated tone but highlights self-importance and exaggeration more
overlofty
vslarge
8.2

Having goals or ideas that are too high and unrealistic

is about pompous language but less about personal ambition or aims

Antonyms

222 2.8

Not proud and not thinking you are better than others

81 2.7

Not thinking you are better than others and not boasting

Idioms

89 3.4

To say that something is true in most cases

84 3.7

In a general way without giving details

66 6.2

Free and not caught after escaping, often said about criminals or dangerous animals

writ large
  • Formal
5 7.1

Very clear and easy to see

1 7.8

Has control and confidence when leading others

Compounds

158 1.4

Many people or things counted together

65 3.8

Very large and affecting many people or places

31 1.0

More than what is needed or allowed

A very large company that does business in many countries

9 1.0

A clothing size for people who are bigger than average

7 2.7

A big difference between two amounts or scores

large intestine
  • Specialized
4 2.8

The lower tube in the body that absorbs water from waste before the waste leaves the body

A thing you buy that costs a lot of money like a car or house

1 1.3

A big shelter made of cloth for people at outdoor events

large-scale
  • Specialized
1 3.7

Larger than usual to show more detail in maps or models

law of large numbers
  • Specialized
1 5.9

When a sample gets larger, its average gets closer to the average of the whole group

1 1.3

A clothing fit between medium and extra large

large cap
  • Jargon
1 4.4

A company worth more than about ten billion dollars

1 6.4

A task that is very hard to do

1 1.0

A person who is bigger than most people

1 8.8

A nearby irregular galaxy visible from the southern sky that orbits the Milky Way

A theorem that says the average of many independent random results almost certainly equals the true average

An amount that is large but not exactly known

large calorie
  • Specialized
3.7

A measure of food energy equal to the heat needed to warm 1 kilogram of water by 1 degree Celsius

large civet
  • Indian
7.8

A fairly large animal like a cat that is active at night in Asian forests

A grass used for hay that grows fast and often becomes a weed

A low North American plant that makes red berries people use for sauce and juice

7.2

A common large butterfly with white wings whose caterpillars eat cabbages

large white petunia
  • Specialized
6.6

A yearly garden plant with large white flowers that smell sweet at night

9.9

A North American wild flower with greenish-yellow pouch-shaped flowers and purple marks

large-capitalization
  • Specialized
7.0

About stocks of big companies worth five billion dollars or more

An herb that smells nice and has large pink flowers often grown in gardens or used for tea

A plant with large green and white leaves that grows along the ground in gardens

large tooth aspen
  • Specialized
6.5

A tree from eastern North America with large leaves that have rough edges and light bark

9.9

An annual plant with large coiled flower spikes that grows in the western United States and is threatened

6.9

An evergreen tree with large glossy leaves and big white fragrant flowers

A plant with large leaves, like many tropical houseplants

A plant with leaves larger than those of other plants of the same kind

A plant that lives for several years with broad leaves and small daisy-like flowers

A tree or bush with very large leaves and creamy flowers with purple near their base

The texture has large, easily seen pieces

A large tree or shrub with very big leaves and creamy purple flowers

Having a mouth that is bigger than the rest of the face or body

large-toothed aspen
  • Specialized
7.9

A poplar tree with large, toothed leaves and a narrow crown

A size between medium and large, bigger than medium but smaller than large

9.1

The average of many separate random results becomes almost always close to the true average

How Pompous

bombastic
12 8.5
pompous
57 5.8
large
13 8.2
grand
918 3.0
formal
  • Formal
63 3.0
plain
264 1.0

Surface Forms

large positive
larger comparative
largest superlative

Etymology

Large in the sense of showy or pompous speech grew from an older idea of being 'grand' or 'big' in style. So a 'large' speech feels big and showy and may seem too proud.