grandiloquent
English
WOTD – 7 November 2007
Etymology
From Middle French grandiloquent, from Latin grandiloquus, from grandis (“great, full”) + loquēns, present participle of loquor (“I speak”). Compare eloquent.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA(key): /ɡɹænˈdɪl.ə.kwənt/
Audio (US) (file)
Adjective
grandiloquent (comparative more grandiloquent, superlative most grandiloquent)
- (of a person, their language or writing) given to using language in a showy way by using an excessive amount of difficult words to impress others; bombastic; turgid
- 1898, William Graham Sumner, “The Conquest of the United States by Spain”, in War and Other Essays, Yale, published 1911, page 324:
- The American people believe that they have a free country, and we are treated to grandiloquent speeches about our flag and our reputation for freedom and enlightenment.
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Synonyms
- (overly wordy or elaborate): See Thesaurus:verbose
Related terms
- grandiloquacity
- grandiloquence
- grandiloquism
- grandiloquous
- grandiloquoy
- magniloquent
Translations
overly wordy or elaborate
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French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡʁɑ̃.di.lɔ.kɑ̃/
Adjective
grandiloquent (feminine singular grandiloquente, masculine plural grandiloquents, feminine plural grandiloquentes)
Further reading
- “grandiloquent” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
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