purple passage

noun

1

: a passage conspicuous for brilliance or effectiveness in a work that is dull, commonplace, or uninspired

2

chiefly British : a piece of obtrusively ornate writing

called also purple patch

Examples of purple passage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Writers inevitably fall in love with their more purple passages. —Jd Barker, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

translation of Latin pannus purpureus purple patch; from the traditional splendor of purple cloth as contrasted with plainer materials

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined at sense 1