Windbag

A windbag is a person who talks at length, often boastfully or emptily. They are known for their excessive and often tedious verbosity, frequently using complex language to express shallow thoughts. They may dominate conversations, pontificate on subjects they barely understand, and enjoy the sound of their own voice. Their pronouncements are often filled with hot air, lacking substance or genuine insight. The term suggests a lack of humility and a tendency towards self-aggrandizement through empty rhetoric. Such individuals are often perceived as tiresome and self-absorbed by others.

Windbag meaning with examples

• At the town hall meeting, the windbag mayor droned on for over an hour, spewing platitudes and avoiding any actual discussion of the pressing budget crisis. His flowery language and lack of specifics left the audience utterly frustrated, leading to a sharp rise of murmurs.
• Professor Davies was a known windbag, spending the entire lecture rambling about his unpublished theories, seemingly oblivious to the students' glazed-over expressions. His lectures were more about self-promotion than providing practical knowledge and critical thinking.
• Despite having no experience in international relations, the political commentator, a notorious windbag, frequently appeared on television, offering bombastic and ill-informed opinions. His pronouncements were frequently criticized as self-serving and completely out of touch.
• During the family dinner, Uncle George, a self-proclaimed expert on everything, became the windbag. He dominated the conversation, offering unsolicited advice, while hardly allowing anyone else to contribute their perspective or share their opinions.
• The salesman, a master windbag, promised the moon and the stars, dazzling the potential client with overblown claims. However, the actual product was far less impressive, ultimately revealing the hollowness of his persuasive rhetoric.