officialese

[ uh-fish-uh-leez, -lees ]

noun

1. a style of language used in some official statements, often criticized for its use of polysyllabic jargon and obscure, pretentiously wordy phrasing.

officialese

/ əˌfɪʃəˈliːz /

noun

1. language characteristic of official documents, esp when verbose or pedantic

Word History and Origins

Origin of officialese¹

First recorded in 1880–85; official + -ese

Example Sentences

In his first months in office, Biden has already signaled his desire to return the Asia-Pacific — or Indo-Pacific, as has become more common in officialese — to the top of the U.S. foreign policy agenda.

From Seattle Times

There has long been a provision in immigration law designed to weed out applicants for citizenship who are likely to become dependent on the state — to become “public charges,” in officialese.

From Washington Post

There’s even a Plain English Campaign that does its nut, year-round and vocationally, about examples of baffling officialese, pompous lawyer-speak and soul-shrivelling business jargon.

From The Guardian

In officialese the lifts are referred to as Personenumlaufaufzüge – people circulation lifts – while a popular bureaucrats’ nickname for them is Beamtenbagger or “civil servant excavator”.

From The Guardian

I could keep giving example after example of clunky Indian officialese, but then this piece would start sounding like the prime minister’s Independence Day speech at Red Fort.

From New York Times