fustian language
- noun
- /ˈfʌstʃən ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/
- Literature
:
palabrería grandilocuente
- The politician's speech was filled with fustian language that failed to address real issues.
Examples
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Rather than impressing the audience, his fustian language made his argument sound insincere.
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Don't use such fustian language in your essay!
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Critics accused the novel of being filled with fustian language instead of genuine emotion.
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The politician's speech was criticized for its fustian language that obscured his real message.
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Critics accused the novel of being filled with fustian language instead of genuine emotion.
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Rather than impressing the audience, his fustian language made his argument sound insincere.
-
The politician's speech was criticized for its fustian language that obscured his real message.
Synonyms
265
7.0
Words that sound impressive but have little real meaning
4
9.4
Speech or writing that uses large, showy words but has little real meaning
1
9.9
Very fancy or showy language that does not sound honest and is hard to understand
Language that tries to sound important but has little meaning
Antonyms
How Pompous
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'pompous, pretentious language' is directly and compositionally derived from 'fustian' (exaggerated, pompous expression) modifying 'language' (speech or writing). This is a regular adjective + noun construction following standard semantic combination, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning despite 'fustian' being a low-frequency lexical item.
Etymology
The phrase fustian language comes from the word fustian, a heavy, padded cloth used long ago to make clothes look rich. Think of speech padded with big, showy words like thick fabric that hides emptiness, so it means 'pompous' or 'empty' language.