Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective prolix differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of prolix are diffuse, verbose, and wordy. While all these words mean "using more words than necessary to express thought," prolix suggests unreasonable and tedious dwelling on details.

habitually transformed brief anecdotes into prolix sagas

When might diffuse be a better fit than prolix?

The words diffuse and prolix are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, diffuse stresses lack of compactness and pointedness of style.

diffuse memoirs that are so many shaggy-dog stories

Where would verbose be a reasonable alternative to prolix?

The synonyms verbose and prolix are sometimes interchangeable, but verbose suggests a resulting dullness, obscurity, or lack of incisiveness or precision.

the verbose position papers

In what contexts can wordy take the place of prolix?

The words wordy and prolix can be used in similar contexts, but wordy may also imply loquaciousness or garrulity.

a wordy speech

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of prolix In 1949, a young American artist named Ray Johnson left Black Mountain College near Asheville, N.C., moved to New York City and began to explore his prolix talents, both visual and verbal. Roberta Smith, New York Times, 30 May 2024 His answer is this book: a laudably sincere, exasperatingly prolix and occasionally affecting rumination on the state of Egypt—its society, culture, history and politics—pegged to the maddening bureaucracy of the archive. Kapil Komireddi, WSJ, 12 Mar. 2023 There’s a hypnotic quality to this freewheeling central section, a sustained charge that falters in some of the more prolix passages around it. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2022 A certain type of actor thrives in these prolix circumstances. Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2021 Ames’s ruminations on the soul are prolix, philosophical, and profoundly sad. Hermione Lee, The New York Review of Books, 22 Oct. 2020 Words, including those of artists themselves—as prolix in their way as critics, curators, and historians—can serve vision but can also deflect from it. Barry Schwabsky, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prolix
Adjective
  • In the past several years, Edge had filed a string of civil lawsuits with rambling, sometimes conspiratorial claims.
    Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Kiehne was frustrated with the Joneses because the county government wouldn’t grade the dirt road up to his ranch, a rambling territory along the New Mexico border.
    Mitch Moxley, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In this Pixar staple, elderly widower Carl sets off on an adventure to fulfill his late wife’s dream, only to be accompanied by an eager Boy Scout and an annoyingly talkative dog.
    Jenna Ryu, SELF, 16 Sep. 2025
  • After all, for seven seasons, Graham and Bledel starred as the unstoppable (and oh-so-talkative) mother-daughter duo of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, the two besties at the center of Stars Hollow, a small Connecticut town with a very big personality.
    Samantha Highfill, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Instead, Reeves became Estragon, the more simplistic and long-suffering of the duo, while Winter tackled Vladimir, the more commanding and verbose character.
    Brent Lang, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Director Richard Linklater is fond of a verbose protagonist; Hawke and Julie Delpy gabbed through three films’ worth of Before movies, after all.
    Joe Reid, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Anders is also very wordy, and subtitles can only capture maybe 30 percent of it.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
  • For example, the AI maker might tell the AI to always respond succinctly and not be overly wordy.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Prolix.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prolix. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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