Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To discourse at length in a pompous or boastful manner.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- intransitive verb To orate pompously; -- used especially of politicians and news commentators.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb US To
speak ordiscourse at length in apompous orboastful manner.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb orate verbosely and windily
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Although 'bloviate' is listed in slang dictionaries as far back as the 19th century, the term was popularized by President Warren G. Harding in the 1920s.
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He puts on no airs, doesn't "bloviate", and I give his late, dear wife credit for keeping him so grounded.
Cafferty File 2008
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However, others like William Safire claim that 'bloviate' comes from combining the words 'blow-hard' and 'deviation.'
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You just happened to accidentally hit one of my favorite topics to bloviate on.
The Volokh Conspiracy » Public Opinion, Anti-Discrimination Law, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 2010
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But here's the thing: Unlike the people who bloviate on cable news about their so-called conservative values, I'm actually willing to listen to Danny.
Mark Blankenship: Is CBS' Blue Bloods Showing the Way to Our Political Future? Mark Blankenship 2010
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But if we really want to get the economy back on track, we need a better-educated workforce, one that knows that the Space Race didn't bankrupt the Soviet Union, understands syntax, and doesn't just bloviate about bakeries.
ComPost: Sarah Palin on the 'Race to Space,' Sputnik and Spudnut Alexandra Petri 2011
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Maybe Mr. Cooper can bloviate on the subject for us.
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The far-right pundits can bloviate all they want with their big microphone & platform provided by FALSE NEWS! ... but the reality is that election outcome will prove that Beck, Hannity, O'reilly and Rush LimpFROG hateful & bigoted views are irrelevant and have no impact whatsoEVER ... except you're just a FALSE NEWS puppet who is helping them make more millions by boosting their ratings!!!!
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Maybe Mr. Cooper can bloviate on the subject for us.
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But here's the thing: Unlike the people who bloviate on cable news about their so-called conservative values, I'm actually willing to listen to Danny.
Mark Blankenship: Is CBS' Blue Bloods Showing the Way to Our Political Future? Mark Blankenship 2010
meeralee commented on the word bloviate
I can't believe I forgot this word for my Blanguage list. :-)
February 27, 2007
artistx commented on the word bloviate
This is a cracker. Hard to use everyday though
April 19, 2007
ofravens commented on the word bloviate
That first definition is almost as amusing to me as the word itself. "Orate verbosely," indeed.
March 25, 2008
reesetee commented on the word bloviate
That's WeirdNet for you!
March 25, 2008
super-logos commented on the word bloviate
Like bloated obfuscation that obviates everything in its path.
August 16, 2008
VoraciousVerbivore commented on the word bloviate
Think "Blow"viate as in blowhard. As in full of hot air. Good memory aid.
July 30, 2011
685974146 commented on the word bloviate
Atlanta journalist Hollis Gillespie loves this word!
July 30, 2011
qms commented on the word bloviate
Lament the state of our conversation:
Once blessed by masters of oration,
We now limit the reach
Of political speech
To a tuneless chorus of bloviation.
February 17, 2014
natalie_portmanteaux commented on the word bloviate
Bloviate, a portmanteau of blow and deviate.
August 26, 2023