turgid
Americanadjective
-
swollen; distended; tumid.
-
inflated, overblown, or pompous; bombastic.
turgid language.
adjective
-
swollen and distended; congested
-
(of style or language) pompous and high-flown; bombastic
Other Word Forms
- turgidity noun
- turgidly adverb
- turgidness noun
- unturgid adjective
- unturgidly adverb
Etymology
Origin of turgid
1660–70; < Latin turgidus, equivalent to turg ( ēre ) to swell + -idus -id 4
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some have waded through turgid Communist Party documents in search of subtle shifts in tone and vocabulary.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 15, 2026
France ended their turgid November campaign with a lacklustre 48-33 win over the Wallabies after failing to live up to expectations as a swashbuckling side capable of challenging the world's best under coach Fabien Galthie.
From Barron's • Nov. 30, 2025
Even the highlights on Match of the Day have left me thinking, 'oh this is a bit turgid'.
From BBC • Dec. 6, 2024
Mr. Dennett combined a wide range of knowledge with an easy, often playful writing style to reach a lay public, avoiding the impenetrable concepts and turgid prose of many other contemporary philosophers.
From New York Times • Apr. 19, 2024
Was this the only true history of the times, a mood blared by trumpets, trombones, saxophones and drums, a song with turgid, inadequate words?
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
