wordy

[ wur-dee ]

adjective

, word·i·er, word·i·est.

1. characterized by or given to the use of many, or too many, words; verbose:

   She grew impatient at his wordy reply.

   Synonyms: voluble, loquacious, talkative, diffuse

2. pertaining to or consisting of words; verbal.

wordy

/ ˈwɜːdɪ /

adjective

1. using, inclined to use, or containing an excess of words

   a wordy writer

   a wordy document

2. of the nature of or relating to words; verbal

Derived Forms

• ˈwordiness, noun
• ˈwordily, adverb

Other Words From

• wordi·ly adverb
• wordi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of wordy¹

First recorded before 1100; Middle English; Old English wordig. See word, -y ¹

Synonym Study

Wordy, prolix, redundant, pleonastic all mean using more words than necessary to convey a desired meaning. Wordy, the broadest and least specific of these terms, may, in addition to indicating an excess of words, suggest a garrulousness or loquaciousness: a wordy, gossipy account of a simple incident. Prolix refers to speech or writing extended to great and tedious length with inconsequential details: a prolix style that tells you more than you need or want to know. Redundant and pleonastic both refer to unnecessary repetition of language. Redundant has also a generalized sense of “excessive” or “no longer needed”: the dismissal of redundant employees. In describing language, it most often refers to overelaboration through the use of expressions that repeat the sense of other expressions in a passage: a redundant text crammed with amplifications of the obvious. Pleonastic, usually a technical term, refers most often to expressions that repeat something that has been said before: “A true fact” and “a free gift” are pleonastic expressions.

Example Sentences

This is a talky chamber piece of philosophical face-offs, debate duels and wordy warfare, though the outcomes remain just as harrowing.

From Los Angeles Times

Players have conceded the play calls are long and wordy, Garbers saying he had filled seven or eight notebooks with plays he repeatedly copied as part of his efforts to learn the system.

From Los Angeles Times

“Some were really wordy, with 10 pages instead of one. Probably to get more funding,” the source thought.

From BBC

It’s a wordy play, running close to three hours.

From Los Angeles Times

There’s not much subtext, everything remains on the surface, and the exceptionally wordy script relies on exposition dumps to inform the audience about rumors, twists, deals and double-crosses.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• lengthy
• long-winded
• rambling
• turgid