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inkhorn

adjective

Definition of inkhornnext
as in scholarly
marked by or given to showing knowledge in a showy way The writer apparently thought using a bunch of inkhorn terms would impress the reader and distract from the severely lacking plot.

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for inkhorn
  1. scholarly
  2. academic
  3. scholastic
  4. intellectual
  5. pedantic
Adjective
  • Perhaps fearing too quick a canonization, his will demanded a 10-year moratorium on scholarly meetings about him.
    — Bartolomeo Sala, The Dial, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Students begin with one scholarly article in JSTOR, usually from their discipline, and choose an idea, question, concept, argument, or even a citation that interests them.
    — Saurabh Anand, JSTOR Daily, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of scholarly
Adjective
  • Some have academic credentials that would make admission through Harvard’s front door highly unlikely.
    — Jayson Weingarten, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026
  • China is embracing the idea of competition without confrontation, by invoking an academic concept.
    — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of academic
Adjective
  • The award honors media professionals and groups making significant contributions to scholastic journalism.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Go literal with scholastic motifs, or keep it subtle with bright colors and minimalist designs.
    — Odeya Pinkus, InStyle, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of scholastic
Adjective
  • However, those conventions become much more meaningful when students understand the intellectual practices underneath them.
    — Saurabh Anand, JSTOR Daily, 24 Sep. 2026
  • That which enters into the experience of the masses of the people is not what the intellectual knows but what the popular leader feels.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of intellectual
Adjective
  • Only instead of crusading against the evils of dancing teenagers, our most pedantic podcasters have joined forces to convince their audiences that Tony Romo should be doing the Texas two-step to the nearest unemployment office.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The best tended to use puns, literalization — turning an idiom into reality — and pedantic humor to delight and torment children in equal measures.
    — Lindsey Bever, Washington Post, 21 June 2026
Definition of pedantic
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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inked
inkhorn
inking
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Cite this Entry

“Inkhorn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inkhorn. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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