1
as in repetition
the use of too many words to express an idea
teachers loathe the verbiage that students resort to in order to pad a paper
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rhetoric
language that is impressive-sounding but not meaningful or sincere
the pretentious verbiage that one finds in the reviews of self-important art critics
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in language
the way in which something is put into words
as per the standard verbiage of military reports, the assault was launched at "0700 hours"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of verbiage
Speaking of sexy, Kristen Wiig, to borrow Pop Crave’s verbiage, stunned in a black silk dress, and Taylor, who has walked every red carpet body-first, wore a trompe l’oeil couture dress by Thom Browne with an artsy and meticulously pieced-together anatomical bodice.
—
José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 2 Mar. 2026
Sullivan used the same verbiage to describe the situation surrounding Tua Tagovailoa, the former franchise quarterback who could very well be traded or cut on June 1.
—Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
As of Sunday, that verbiage has since been deleted.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2026
At a recent campus campaign stop, Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate James Fishback dropped some unusual verbiage while inveighing against junk food in school cafeterias.
—Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for verbiage
José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 2 Mar. 2026
Sullivan used the same verbiage to describe the situation surrounding Tua Tagovailoa, the former franchise quarterback who could very well be traded or cut on June 1.
—Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2026
As of Sunday, that verbiage has since been deleted.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2026
At a recent campus campaign stop, Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate James Fishback dropped some unusual verbiage while inveighing against junk food in school cafeterias.
—Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for verbiage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for verbiage
Noun
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Capitalist tactics—repetition, decontextualization, estrangement—were put in service of their literal-minded appropriations.—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
O’Farrell’s sentences — the musicality of her repetitions, the genial warmth of her narration, the visceral pleasures of her imagery — offer comfort against the backdrop of heartbreak so common to her fiction.—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
Noun
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Healey, a former two-term attorney general, is completely disregarding public safety by her reckless rhetoric and actions – all to win another election.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
4 June 2026
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The escalating rhetoric comes at a critical moment for the two countries, which next month will embark on a review of their free trade agreement with Canada.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
The titular bear, who communicates with the girl through language—seemingly telepathic—plays a crucial role in her survival.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
The term English learners is defined by the Illinois State Board of Education as students who do not meet certain English proficiency standards and whose home language background is a language other than English.—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
Noun
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On their website, the three yellow stripes are prominently featured on the website under the Black Lives Matter wordage, and used on their social media accounts.—
Amritpal Kaur Sandhu-Longoria,
USA TODAY,
29 Mar. 2023
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Reached by the Union-Tribune Wednesday morning, Lindsey differed with McGillis’ wordage.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Mar. 2023
Noun
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This isn’t to suggest that Young needs to pick up where Hunt has left off, in terms of salty diction.—
Joseph Person,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
But Auschwitz had also left its mark on his diction—a sort of verbal tattoo.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
The government has multiple programs for tracking Americans’ insurance status, which can give different numbers depending on factors like timing and question wording.—
Mike Stobbe,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
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Your careful wording keeps trust intact by turning emotion into clear choices.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2026
Noun
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Director Scott Ellis understands all this, and thus the admirably specific physical business and slurred verbosity in his gently outré revival really makes for quite the amusing diversion.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
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Director Scott Ellis understands all this and thus the admirably specific physical business and slurred verbosity in his gently outré revival really makes for quite the amusing diversion.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
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What Research Really Shows Some research has found an association between mouthwash use and higher blood pressure, particularly with frequent use and stronger antibacterial formulations.—
Laura Bradley,
Health,
3 June 2026
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Yet over 60% of natural flavor formulations consumed in Africa are still imported, primarily from Europe, India, and China.—
Lisa Curtis,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Verbiage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/verbiage. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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