officialese
noun
of·fi·cial·ese
ə-ˌfi-shə-ˈlēz 
-ˈlēs,
ō-
: the characteristic language of official statements : wordy, pompous, or obscure language
Examples of officialese in a Sentence
The documents were full of confusing officialese.
Recent Examples on the Web
Accompanied by their parents, these hypernerdy whiz kids are rousingly welcomed by the event’s emcee, a five-star general played impeccably by Jeffrey Wright, whose rigorous diction is the loony height of military officialese.
—
Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 June 2023
But the euphemism and officialese have appeared to worsen over the decades.
—Patrick Blanchfield, The New Republic, 31 Mar. 2020
Anyone who knows anything about research in the former Soviet archives would recognize the official reception of Sanders in Yaroslavl in 1988 and subsequent contacts as routine and pure officialese.
—Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2020
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Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 June 2023
But the euphemism and officialese have appeared to worsen over the decades.
—Patrick Blanchfield, The New Republic, 31 Mar. 2020
Anyone who knows anything about research in the former Soviet archives would recognize the official reception of Sanders in Yaroslavl in 1988 and subsequent contacts as routine and pure officialese.
—Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Officialese.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/officialese. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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