as in rhetoric
marked by the use of impressive-sounding but mostly meaningless words and phrases
one of those fustian odes to patriotic duty that were so beloved by school teachers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in grandiloquence
language that is impressive-sounding but not meaningful or sincere
a speech awash in old-fashioned fustian and bereft of all substance
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of fustian
Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 6 June 2023
Noun
Freed of the architectural fustian of the Frick’s Gilded Age home, the art breathes anew, each painting in its own world rather than entwined with others as part of a decorative ensemble.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 6 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fustian
Noun
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His tirades against Ukraine stood out for their bloodthirsty rhetoric.—
Simon Shuster,
Time,
17 July 2025
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While democratic Taiwan has long been used to those threats, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the increasingly shrill rhetoric from Chinese leader Xi Jinping and conflict in the Middle East have thrown into sharp relief what could be at stake if peace falters.—
Will Ripley,
CNN Money,
17 July 2025
Adjective
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Under the Biden administration, for instance, material and rhetorical support for LGBTQ groups abroad was a prominent element of American diplomacy.—
Ari Shaw,
Foreign Affairs,
17 July 2025
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These sections weren’t just rhetorical flourishes from Murasaki.—
Andrew Paul Jul 16,
Popular Science,
16 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fustian.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fustian. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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