What is overly wordy?
Rachel Ross
Updated on May 20, 2026
What is overly wordy?
wordy, verbose, prolix, diffuse mean using more words than necessary to express thought. wordy may also imply loquaciousness or garrulity. a wordy speech verbose suggests a resulting dullness, obscurity, or lack of incisiveness or precision.
What does it mean to be wordy in writing?
Wordy sentences use too many useless words that clutter writing. Good writing is simple and direct; it uses the simplest word possible that conveys the same meaning. Wordiness takes away from this clarity. If you can remove a word while keeping the sentence’s meaning, the sentence is wordy.
What is wordy writing called?
Verbosity or verboseness is speech or writing that uses more words than necessary, e.g. “in spite of the fact that” rather than “although”. Synonyms include wordiness, verbiage, prolixity, grandiloquence, garrulousness, expatiation, logorrhea, and sesquipedalianism.
What is an example of wordiness?
Wordy: Due to the fact that class is cancelled, we will postpone the quiz. Better: Because class is cancelled, we will postpone the quiz. Wordy: In spite of the fact that I am failing, I have enjoyed the class. Better: Although I am failing, I have enjoyed the class.
What are causes of wordiness?
Excessive use of the passive voice, excessive nominalization, unnecessary repetition, and unnecessary words and phrases are some common causes of wordy writing.
What is a word for using too many words?
Pleonasm. noun 1 : the use of more words than those necessary to denote mere sense (as in “the man he said”) : redundancy 2 : an instance or example of pleonasm.
Why is my writing so wordy?
It happens when a writer, either intentionally or unintentionally, uses far too many words or unnecessarily complex or abstract words. Wordiness can seriously detract from the coherency and quality of your writing and frustrate your readers.
What is another word for too wordy?
Some common synonyms of wordy are diffuse, prolix, and verbose. While all these words mean “using more words than necessary to express thought,” wordy may also imply loquaciousness or garrulity.
What are the 4 types of wordiness?
Let’s have a quick look at the 4 types of wordiness that destroys your writing and sends readers away — and how to fix it.
- Complex Sentences. When writing, you might catch a flow.
- Overusing Complex Words.
- Bulky Paragraphs.
- Blurred Picture.
What is wordiness and redundancy?
Wordiness, or redundancy, often takes the form of circumlocutions (the use of many words to say something that could be said in fewer words without losing meaning), or filler words or filler phrases. As an added danger, filler words/phrases can also be considered cliché. …
What is it called when you use unnecessary words?
Pleonasm is using more words than you need to, either accidentally or deliberately. The Greek root word in pleonasm is pleonazein, which describes something as more than enough. Used accidentally, a pleonasm is just long-winded wordiness, like a sentence that includes far more words than is necessary.
What do you call someone who won’t shut up?
logorrhea Add to list Share. If someone’s always mouthing off and just can’t shut up, they’ve got logorrhea, a pathological inability to stop talking. Sounds better than “loudmouth.”
What is overwriting in writing?
According to writing guru Richard Nordquist, overwriting is “a wordy writing style characterized by excessive detail, needless repetition, overwrought figures of speech, and/or convoluted sentence structures.” Overwriting, in its extreme, is also described as flowery writing or purple prose.
What is wordy writing style?
1 using or containing more words than necessary to express an idea. her writing style is far too wordy for my tastes. Synonyms for wordy. circuitous, circumlocutory, diffuse, garrulous, logorrheic, long-winded,
What is the difference between verbose and wordy?
While in some cases nearly identical to wordy, verbose suggests a resulting dullness, obscurity, or lack of incisiveness or precision. Get Word of the Day daily email! Which is the correct spelling?
What is purpurple prose?
Purple prose is writing that is unnecessarily wordy, uses metaphors and other figurative language badly, and draws attention to itself. It sticks out as over-elaborate in a way that detracts from the story.