windbag
UK: ˈwɪndbæɡ | US: ˈwɪndbæɡ
n. a person who talks excessively with little substance
n. (archaic) a bag filled with wind, such as a bellows or bagpipe
The word "windbag" originated in the early 19th century as a humorous metaphor. The morpheme "wind" refers to air in motion, while "bag" denotes a flexible container. Combined, they originally described literal objects like bellows or bagpipes that hold or expel air. By the mid-1800s, it evolved to describe people who "expel" empty or pompous talk, likening their speech to the sound of air escaping a bag. The shift from literal to figurative meaning reflects English's tendency to use concrete imagery for abstract traits.
The politician was dismissed as a mere windbag after his hour-long speech said nothing.
My uncle is such a windbag—he dominates every conversation with boring stories.
In Shakespearean times, a windbag referred to the bellows used by blacksmiths.
She avoided the meeting, knowing it would be dominated by office windbags.
The comedian mocked the CEO as a corporate windbag full of buzzwords.