as in repetition
the use of too many words to express an idea
congressional hearings into the Watergate scandal were marked by an orgy of periphrasis, the expression "at this point in time" being a memorable example
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for periphrasis
Noun
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Over time, increase the repetitions using light weights, then gradually progress to heavier loads, Forsyth recommended.—
Allison Forsyth,
Health,
14 Jan. 2026 -
Some apps, like Duolingo, use spaced repetition, but don’t always provide authentic cultural context, which is important for learning intuitively, said Sauer.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Plants don’t have lungs, of course, but grapevines do breathe, absorbing oxygen and other atmospheric gases—including smoke—through small pores on the underside of their leaves, or by diffusion across the fruit’s thin, waxy skin.—
Nicola Twilley,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
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Holes effectively switched partners repeatedly, a process the team calls non-monogamous hole diffusion.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Their circumlocutions were as entrancing as their ability to find the most precisely ironic words for difficult-to-name realities.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 July 2025
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Here, instead, she’s swayed by a dead Diana softly squeezing her hand and kindly hinting — the dead Diana is an ace at tactful circumlocution — that now is the time to show a mourning nation some emotion.—
Tom Gliatto,
Peoplemag,
16 Nov. 2023
Noun
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Flatulent describes inflated, pretentious writing; garrulity describes excessive talkativeness.—
Gary Gilson,
Star Tribune,
31 Oct. 2020
Noun
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This working prompt injection came only after much trial and error, explaining the verbosity and the detail in it.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
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The truth is, there is rarely a Merritt Wever or an Adrien Brody in awards speeches—extreme cases of brevity or verbosity that stun both those in the room and at home.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Remaining on stage with gracious verbalism, Batiste first acknowledged the nominees.—
Allison Hazel,
Essence,
9 June 2021
Noun
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The repetitiveness of the plot is not helped by the many montages writer-director Yandy Laurens uses as shortcuts, instead of writing scenes that show how the central relationship is developing.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
15 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Just as the limitless space of web text tempts writers to indulge their logorrhea, the blinking, ever-transmuting, cartoonish interface of web browsers prevents would-be readers from paying attention to anything for longer than about 7 seconds.—
Barton Swaim,
WSJ,
19 Sep. 2022
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Nor has Musk kept his Twitter logorrhea in check in other respects.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2022
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Cite this Entry
“Periphrasis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/periphrasis. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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