Grandiose, high-sounding, or pompous speech; language that is elevated in style but often lacking in substance or sincerity.
From Latin altus (high) and loquens (speaking), combined with the English noun suffix -ence, meaning 'high-speaking.' It describes overly elaborate or pretentious language.
Altiloquence names a specific rhetorical sin: sounding grand while saying nothing—Shakespeare satirized this in pompous characters, and politicians are still criticized for it, showing how this word captures a timeless human weakness.
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