wordier; wordiest
1
: using or containing many and usually too many words
2
: of or relating to words : verbal
wordily adverb
wordiness noun
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 Like the nuns, viewers waver between certainty and suspicion, so the production remains intriguing despite the wordy dialogue. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024 Most of the album’s songs are no wordier than that. Steve Hochman, SPIN, 1 Mar. 2024 There do not need to be multiple footnotes and citations and wordy, number-heavy statements. April Rudin, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Steam | Official site Tired of games that bog you down with hours of wordy tutorials to explain their complex mechanics? Kyle Orland and Sarah Leboeuf, Ars Technica, 18 June 2023 Still, the wordy, whip-smart banter flows easily between the two, moving from kinda corny generational riffs to opening old wounds. Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023 The Welk’s set pieces and props are just adequate, and there were a couple of blips with the sound in the theater, which muddled some of this show’s witty and wordy lyrics. David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2023 That 2011 test message was a lot wordier than those used now. Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2023 Your words have to be clear, especially with the southern dialect in such a wordy song. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 26 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wordy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of wordy was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near wordy

Cite this Entry

“Wordy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wordy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wordy

adjective
wordier; wordiest
: using or containing too many words
wordily adverb
wordiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on wordy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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