wordy

adjective

ˈwər-dē 

wordier; wordiest

1

: using or containing many and usually too many words

2

: of or relating to words : verbal

wordily

ˈwər-də-lē 

adverb

wordiness

ˈwər-dē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

• circuitous
• circumlocutory
• diffuse
• garrulous
• logorrheic
• long-winded
• pleonastic
• prolix
• rambling
• verbose
• windy

Choose the Right Synonym for 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.

the verbose position papers

prolix suggests unreasonable and tedious dwelling on details.

habitually transformed brief anecdotes into prolix sagas

diffuse stresses lack of compactness and pointedness of style.

diffuse memoirs that are so many shaggy-dog stories

Examples of wordy in a Sentence

The original script was too wordy.

her writing style is far too wordy for my tastes

Recent Examples on the Web

The 2013 rom-com Can a Song Save Your Life?, starring Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to some acclaim, but it was renamed Begin Again after the festivals and before its wide release because audiences kept messing up the wordy original title. —James Grebey, Vulture, 2 May 2024

The second half is wordy in a different direction, an extended discussion of social realities given highly individualized perspectives. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 12 Apr. 2024

The air is full at present of wordy warfare on the relative merits of unhampered private enterprise and of government planning of economic developments. —Foreign Affairs, 18 Dec. 2011

The Urdu language is not so wordy, because the words already have so much meaning. —Peter Helman, SPIN, 30 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

wordy

adjective

ˈwərd-ē 

wordier; wordiest

: using or containing too many words

wordily

ˈwərd-ᵊl-ē 

adverb

wordiness

ˈwərd-ē-nəs 

noun