wordy

adjective

ˈwər-dē 

wordier; wordiest

1

: using or containing many and usually too many words

2

: of or relating to words : verbal

wordily

ˈwər-də-lē 

adverb

wordiness

ˈwər-dē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of wordy

• rambling
• talkative
• prolix

Choose the Right Synonym for wordy

wordy, verbose, prolix, diffuse mean using more words than necessary to express thought.

wordy may also imply loquaciousness or garrulity.

a wordy speech

verbose suggests a resulting dullness, obscurity, or lack of incisiveness or precision.

the verbose position papers

prolix suggests unreasonable and tedious dwelling on details.

habitually transformed brief anecdotes into prolix sagas

diffuse stresses lack of compactness and pointedness of style.

diffuse memoirs that are so many shaggy-dog stories

Examples of wordy in a Sentence

The original script was too wordy.

her writing style is far too wordy for my tastes

Recent Examples on the Web

In frank yet wordy songs that layer guitars and synths over shimmering grooves, Duff sings about trying to overcome old habits and about her fear that her best times are behind her. —Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026

This is a wordier way of explaining the obvious downstream effects of paying for better players. —Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026

Your 10th House of Achievement is in the spotlight as quick-thinking Mercury nudges Jupiter in your wordy 3rd house, potentially influencing you to draft a proposal or step up on a task. —Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 30 Jan. 2026

With Payton and Nix, in particular, part of the rationale was to get some of Payton’s most wordy calls on the band so the coach could give short-hand to Nix, creating a couple of extra seconds for the quarterback to spit out a call that might be15 or 20 words long. —Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for wordy

• birdie
• gurdy
• purdy
• sturdy
• thirty

Kids Definition

wordy

adjective

ˈwərd-ē 

wordier; wordiest

: using or containing too many words

wordily

ˈwərd-ᵊl-ē 

adverb

wordiness

ˈwərd-ē-nəs 

noun