lack-latin

9.9

Language full of long hard words used to seem clever

noun
/ˈlækˌlætn/

: palabrería vacía

Academe is sometimes accused of using lack-latin to mask the simplicity of its arguments.

Examples

The manager's report was filled with so much lack-latin that nobody understood the conclusions.
When confronted with technical questions, he resorted to lack-latin to avoid admitting he didn't know the answer.
The professor's lecture was filled with lack-latin that confused everyone.
Don't use lack-latin to impress your audience!
The manager's report was filled with so much lack-latin that nobody understood the conclusions.
When confronted with technical questions, he resorted to lack-latin to avoid admitting he didn't know the answer.
Don't use lack-latin to impress your audience!

Synonyms

rhetoric

vslack-latin

265 7.0

Words that sound impressive but have little real meaning

focuses more on sounding learned and pretentious rather than persuading

gobbledygook

vslack-latin

Informal

9 9.9

Confusing speech or writing full of technical words that most people cannot understand

is like this but focuses on sounding learned and pretentious

empty words

vslack-latin

3 5.1

Talk that has no real meaning and is not useful

is more about jargon and pretentious language rather than simple emptiness

gobbledegook

vslack-latin

Informal

1 9.8

Language that is hard to understand because it uses many difficult words or nonsense

is similar but emphasizes sounding learned rather than only being unclear

idle words

vslack-latin

1 8.0

Words that people say but do not mean

is specifically pretentious jargon used to seem learned rather than idle chatter

edu-babble

vslack-latin

Slang

9.9

Confusing education words that sound important but mean little

is broader, not only educational, and often seeks to sound learned

Antonyms

clarity

152 3.0

How easy it is to understand what someone says or writes

lucidity

7 6.0

Clear thinking or speech that is easy to understand

How Clear

jargon

43 7.2

lack-latin

9.9

gobbledygook

Informal

9 9.9

Surface Forms

lack-latin singular

lack-latins plural

Morphology

lack-latin = lack + Latin (semi-transparent) = lack + Latin

The compound suggests deficient or broken Latin, but the specialized sense of pretentious or unintelligible jargon is only partly predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Lack-latin plays on the words lack and Latin. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine speech that tries to sound like learned Latin but 'lacks real sense'. So, lack-latin means showy or meaningless language used to 'appear learned'.