portentousness
- noun
- /pɔːrˈtɛntəsnəs/
- Formal
:
pomposidad
- He delivered the news with such portentousness that everyone expected something far more serious.
Examples
-
Critics often point out the portentousness in her writing style, calling it unnecessarily grand.
-
The portentousness of his speech made the audience feel uncomfortable rather than inspired.
-
His portentousness was quite annoying.
-
The portentousness of her remarks was off-putting.
-
His speech was filled with portentousness, making even simple topics sound overly dramatic.
-
The movie's portentousness overshadowed the lighthearted moments, leaving viewers feeling tense.
-
She approached the ceremony with a sense of portentousness, as if the event held great significance.
Synonyms
53
2.7
A calm and honest way of speaking or acting that shows you mean what you say
34
7.0
Behaving to impress people instead of being honest
9
7.0
A serious, formal feeling that shows respect
6
7.7
A way of acting like you are very important that annoys other people
2
7.7
Acting like you are more important or more educated than you really are
1
7.4
Acting as if you are more important than other people
Speech or writing that uses big, fancy words to sound important
Acting as if you are very important in a way that annoys others
Acting in a fake or showy way to impress other people
A serious and calm way of behaving that shows respect
Antonyms
How Pompous
- Specialized
1
7.9
6
7.7
- Formal
- Formal
9
7.0
8
4.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
portentousness = portentous (semi-transparent) = portent + ous + ness
Morphologically regular (portent → portentous → -ness), but the sense 'pompous/overly serious' is a figurative extension not directly deducible from 'portent'.
Etymology
Portentousness comes from the root portent, a 'sign' that people once treated as very important. That's why portentousness can also mean acting overly serious or showing off as if something is more important than it really is.