as in rambling
using or containing more words than necessary to express an idea
a person known for habitually transforming brief anecdotes into prolix sagas that exhaust their listeners
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in repetition
the use of too many words to express an idea
prolixity is one of the worst offenses that a writer of any age can commit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prolix
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
Adjective
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
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The final part is a rather rambling segment philosophizing on proof of the afterlife—in line with dozens of similar texts from this era of psychical research.—
Alice Vernon
September 8,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The videos, which depict handwritten journals and a display of high-powered weaponry, paint a portrait of a person with a rambling and deeply nihilistic outlook, according to analyses by law enforcement and ABC News.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
27 Aug. 2025
Noun
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In fact, the seals landed in the same statistical range as nursery rhymes, where repetition and predictability help a message carry and be remembered.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
11 Sep. 2025
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Try these exercises and gradually progress them by adding more resistance, sets, and repetitions over time.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Harjo understands better than all but a few of his star’s previous collaborators how to weaponize Hawke’s gift for playing talkative dirtbags who are equal parts insufferable and charming.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
4 Sep. 2025
-
That of course was not unusual, but what was unusual was how talkative this man had been.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Quaid, who portrayed the imposing Cousin Eddie in the movie, said that Chase had trouble memorizing his dialogue while filming a particularly verbose breakdown scene near the climax of the film.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
31 Aug. 2025
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But Schwarber's teammate, Nick Castellanos — who joined the Phillies on a $100 million deal after playing for two seasons with the Reds — was more verbose about Schwarber potentially joining his hometown team.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But Sieh is the standout, emitting a complex blend of sardonic acceptance, cynical verbosity and submerged emotional longing.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2025
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Crisp articulation of ideas trumps verbosity, fostering a culture that treasures originality and respect for the reader’s time.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes,
24 Feb. 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
Noun
-
Flatulent describes inflated, pretentious writing; garrulity describes excessive talkativeness.—
Gary Gilson,
Star Tribune,
31 Oct. 2020
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
Cite this Entry
“Prolix.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prolix. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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