sesquipedalian
- adjective
- /ˌsɛskwɪpɪˈdeɪliən/
- Formal
:
sesquipedal
- His sesquipedalian speech confused many of the audience members.
Examples
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Writers are sometimes criticized for using sesquipedalian words when simpler ones would suffice.
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The professor's lecture was filled with sesquipedalian terminology that confused the students.
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Her essay was so sesquipedalian that it was difficult for the average reader to understand.
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Don't be so sesquipedalian when you write!
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His sesquipedalian speech left many listeners confused and frustrated.
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The professor was known for his sesquipedalian writing style, often using words few could understand.
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She shocked her friends with a sesquipedalian vocabulary during the simple conversation.
Synonyms
18
5.8
Saying or writing more words than needed and taking too long
12
8.5
Using big, showy words that have little real meaning
8
3.7
Using more words than needed makes the meaning hard to understand
7
7.1
Using more words than needed in speech or writing
1
6.9
Having more than one syllable or using many long words with several syllables
1
9.9
Using long, fancy words to sound important
1
8.9
Using words or ideas that sound grand and showy but feel unrealistic
1
9.5
Using too many words so it is hard to follow
To use very big, showy words to sound important
Writing or speech that is too long, showy, and hard to read
To use more words than needed in speech or writing to say something simple
Using more words than needed to say what you mean in a roundabout way
Using many words instead of saying something clearly to avoid a direct answer
Using more words than needed, often repeating the same idea
Talking a lot quickly and without stopping
Antonyms
How Fancy
Surface Forms
Morphology
sesquipedalian = sesqui + ped + alian
The meaning of 'sesquipedalian' is not directly derivable from its roots for most English learners, as it involves specialized knowledge of Latin.
Etymology
Sesquipedalian comes from the Latin parts sesqui- ('one and a half') and ped- ('foot'), the same ped- you see in pedal and pedestrian. So to be sesquipedalian is to use very long, sometimes showy words — like words 'a foot and a half' long, which can make speech or writing hard to follow.