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wordage

wordage

1 7.0
The number of words used in writing or speech, often too many
  • noun
  • /ˈwɜrdɪdʒ/
translation icon : palabrería
  • The podium does entertain the amassed audiences, no matter the speaker who acclaims their wordages to be more than mere words, but as a model of enlightenment to be ever made thoughtful conscious recognitions of after the speaker closes out their speech!

Examples

  • Bluntly put, both books ramble, and many, if not all, of the essays overlap to significant degrees, taxing the reader time and time again and satisfying only the authors who were not required to trim their wordage in the compelling interest of a more coherent and focused presentation.

    Academic text (1998)
  • And even though it didn't result in as much usable wordage as I expected, it seemed in fact to have broken through the mental barrier behind which the words were hiding.

    Blog text (20)
  • Some titles need only a few large letters, and some have considerable wordage and require either small fonts or small sizes, or both.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Some of the wordage of his statement in worried though: "It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers."

    Blog text (2)
  • Y'all should know this before you read another stitch of wordage from me: I never wanted to be a blogger.

    Blog text (30)
  • I think that nature phenomenons are cool and we this will be a a full, I forget the exact wordage for it, but a total eclipse.

  • You can follow her on Twitter (@WendyPhraner) and read her blog posts at Wendy Wordage.

    Blog text (24)
  • The best titles in scientific writing, she maintains, combine "brevity, comprehensiveness, and specificity," as their objective is "maximum content with minimum wordage" (370).

    Academic text (1996)
  • To bolster my argument against this racket, I beg you to read the constitution from which you quote and, having read each and every syllable, produce the wordage that does, in fact, allow for this oppressive shakedown by those in power.

    Blog text (3)
  • The professor criticized the lengthy wordage in the student's essay, suggesting it could be more concise.

Synonyms

verbiage
vswordage
11 8.1

Language that uses too many words and is hard to understand

is about how many words are used rather than their complexity
verbosity
vswordage
1 7.3

Using more words than needed when speaking or writing

is about word quantity rather than criticising length or style
wordiness
vswordage
1 4.8

Using more language than needed in writing or speech

is about the actual amount of words, not only excessiveness
prolixity
vswordage
  • Formal
1 9.9

A habit of using too many words that makes people bored

counts or measures words rather than judging their tediousness
long-windedness
vswordage
1 7.5

Talking or writing with too many words makes people bored

is the simple numeric amount of words, not the listener effect
verboseness
vswordage
7.4

Using more words than needed so speech or writing is hard to follow

is a neutral measure of how many words appear, not style
prolixness
vswordage
  • Formal
9.9

The use of too many words that makes speech or writing long and boring

is concerned with word totals, not the resulting boredom
verbalism
vswordage
9.1

An excess of words that do not add meaning

measures word quantity and does not judge content value
verbality
vswordage
9.5

Speech or writing that uses too many words

is a neutral count of words, not a criticism of speech style
talkiness
vswordage
6.8

Speaking or writing with more words than needed and making the meaning unclear

is a general word count concept, not the casual talky quality
pleonasm
vswordage
9.9

A phrase that uses more words than needed

is about total word amount, not the repetition or redundancy
periphrasis
vswordage
  • Literature
9.9

Using more words than needed to say something in a roundabout way

is the simple measurement of words rather than indirect phrasing

Antonyms

14 5.3

Using few words when speaking or writing

1 5.5

Saying something clearly with few words

How Wordy

wordiness
1 4.8
wordage
1 7.0
conciseness
1 5.5

Surface Forms

wordage singular
wordages plural

Morphology

wordage = word (semi-transparent) = word + age

The word is built regularly from 'word' + '-age' to mean an amount of words, but the sense is somewhat lexicalized and often carries a more specialized or evaluative nuance.

Etymology

Wordage is made from word plus the ending -age, which means 'amount' as in postage or mileage. So wordage simply means the number or amount of words used, often with the idea of too many words.