Bombast in poetry refers to inflated, excessively grandiloquent language that overreaches its subject matter, often resulting in unintentional absurdity; while sometimes used satirically, bombast is generally criticized as a stylistic flaw—Shakespeare’s Falstaff mocks it as “a parcel of phrases”—though Romantic and Baroque poets occasionally deploy hyperbolic diction deliberately to convey sublime awe or emotional extremity.

Inflated, pompous language lacking substance. Often unintentional. Contrast with grandiloquence (intentional elevation). Study tip: Look for excessive adjectives, abstract nouns, and melodramatic phrasing.