sententious

adjective

sen-ˈten(t)-shəs How to pronounce sententious (audio)
Definition of sententiousnext
1
as in moralizing
marked by or given to preaching moral values a sententious crank who has written countless letters to the editor about the decline in family values

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in concise
marked by the use of few words to convey much information or meaning memoirs that are filled with sententious observations on love, marriage, and happiness

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 sententious This conclusion will shock anyone who knows Twain only through his writing, in which the author is wise and witty and, above all, devastating in his portrayal of frauds, cretins, and sententious bores. — Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 9 May 2025 Audiences have no choice but to exist in the theatrical moment, without recourse to linear logic, sententious language or psychological epiphanies. — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2025 This is a bracing, even novel, perspective on a war whose film depictions so often traffic in sententious Greatest Generation platitudes. — Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024 Without the wit inherent in an epigram, a sententious formulation becomes a mere adage, aphorism, apothegm, gnome, maxim, or saw. — Bryan A. Garner, National Review, 15 Sep. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sententious
  1. moralizing
  2. concise
  3. didactic
  4. brief
  5. instructive
  6. summary
  7. moralistic
Adjective
  • This is a radical concept in today’s mental health culture, shaped by social media’s moralizing and rampant shaming.
    — Josh Penn Soskin, Variety, 16 July 2026
  • Trey Parker and Matt Stone created a show directly informed by millennials and Gen Xers growing up in a culture of gun violence, fear, moralizing, bigotry, war and division.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 June 2026
Definition of moralizing
Adjective
  • Sell the position through concise job descriptions, transparent salary ranges, and highlighting small business advantages like flexibility and impact.
    — Rob Falzon, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • The Sirens, the Lotus-Eaters, and Odysseus’ father, Laertes, are all casualties of the relatively concise but splashy format.
    — Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 24 July 2026
Definition of concise
Adjective
  • While the purpose of the video may have been didactic, Jiang tried her hand at flattery.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 25 July 2026
  • The landscape is didactic, insistent.
    — Christopher Hooks, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
Definition of didactic
Adjective
  • That will be followed by a brief break, before returning to the field in August and aligning to the traditional autumn-to-spring schedule most of the world’s top leagues observe.
    — John Cassillo, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Before her brief appearance, Ned and MJ are in a tense standoff with Peter, who just emerged from the multiverse to help save their universe’s Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland.
    — Jack Dunn, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of brief
Adjective
  • The more instructive part, however, is Tony’s time in the chaotic Flagship kitchen, where Chef turns a blind eye to the cocaine and weed circulating but has strict rules about timekeeping and efficiency.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 29 July 2026
  • Stacy Bernstein’s version is less dramatic and more instructive.
    — Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of instructive
Adjective
  • The judge considered hundreds of pages of evidence and testimony from San Diego officials, homeowners and their lawyers and determined that the city had not met the burden for what is called summary adjudication in any of the five causes of actions.
    — Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
  • Such rights obviously do not include summary execution at sea.
    — Mary Ellen O'Connell, The Conversation, 4 Sep. 2025
Definition of summary
Adjective
  • Navy excels at untangling human emotions and picking through them without being didactic or moralistic.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 10 June 2026
  • Last year, a YouTube channel called Akhbar Enfejari (Explosive News) began posting a variety of digital content with a political and moralistic bent.
    — Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
Definition of moralistic

Browse Nearby Words

sententiae
sententious
sententiously
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Cite this Entry

“Sententious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sententious. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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