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phraseless

phraseless

7.8
Writing or speech made of single words rather than groups of words
  • adjective
  • /ˈfreɪz.ləs/
translation icon : sin frases
  • Her speech was almost phraseless, consisting only of single words.

Examples

  • The author's phraseless writing style gave the story a unique rhythm.

  • Some critics found the phraseless composition challenging to follow.

  • The lecture was surprisingly phraseless and hard to follow.

  • His speech felt phraseless without any clear structure.

  • The teacher appreciated the student's phraseless responses during the exam, which showed a straightforward understanding of the concepts.

  • Her phraseless style made the poem feel direct and impactful, focusing on clarity rather than complex language.

  • In the debate, his phraseless arguments were easy to understand and conveyed his point without unnecessary embellishments.

Surface Forms

phraseless positive

Morphology

phraseless = phrase (transparent) = phrase + less

The meaning 'not containing any phrases' is a regular, literal combination of 'phrase' + '-less' and is readily inferable.

Etymology

Phraseless comes from phrase (a 'group of words') plus -less ('without'), so it literally means 'without phrases'. That's why phraseless describes writing that does not use normal groups of words and feels spare or chopped.