Grandiloquence, which debuted in English in the 16th century, is one of several English words pertaining to speech that derive from the Latin loqui, meaning “to speak.” Other offspring of loqui include eloquent (“marked by fluent expression”), loquacious (“full of excessive talk”), and soliloquy (“a long, dramatic monologue”). Grandiloquence comes (probably via Middle French) from the Latin adjective grandiloquus, which combines loqui and the adjective grandis (“grand or great”). A word that is very similar in meaning to grandiloquence is magniloquence—and the similarity is not surprising. Magniloquence combines loqui with magnus, another Latin word meaning “great.”

Examples

“The film finds its grounding in the closing scene when it strips away its grandiloquence and Beyoncé sings an a cappella version of ‘Spirit’ backed by a gospel choir….” — Aidin Vaziri, The San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Aug. 2020

“There will be plenty more rhetoric, pomposity and grandiloquence in the next few weeks as negotiations between the union and MLB get hot and heavy.” — Bob Nightengale, USA Today, 13 May 2020