officialese

noun

of·​fi·​cial·​ese ə-ˌfi-shə-ˈlēz How to pronounce officialese (audio)
-ˈlēs,
ō-
: the characteristic language of official statements : wordy, pompous, or obscure language

Examples of officialese in a Sentence

The documents were full of confusing officialese.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Accompanied by their parents, these hypernerdy whiz kids are rousingly welcomed by the event’s emcee, a five-star general played impeccably by Jeffrey Wright, whose rigorous diction is the loony height of military officialese. Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 June 2023 But the euphemism and officialese have appeared to worsen over the decades. Patrick Blanchfield, The New Republic, 31 Mar. 2020 Anyone who knows anything about research in the former Soviet archives would recognize the official reception of Sanders in Yaroslavl in 1988 and subsequent contacts as routine and pure officialese. Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of officialese was in 1884

Dictionary Entries Near officialese

Cite this Entry

“Officialese.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/officialese. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!