Purple prose: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Purple prose noun. Writing so ornate, flowery or overwrought that it draws attention away from what it is saying.
How to say it
pur-pul PROHZ/ˌpəːp(ə)l ˈprəʊz/
3 syllables, stressed on the third (PROHZ).
Purple prose in a sentence
The estate agent's purple prose described a damp box room as a sun-kissed sanctuary.
Her editor cut the purple prose and the story suddenly came alive.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- floweriness
- bombast
- grandiloquence
- overwriting
Opposite:
- plain English
Where purple prose comes from
From the Roman poet Horace, who mocked purple patches sewn onto otherwise plain verse.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Her editor cut the _____ and the story suddenly came alive.
- purple prose
- synopsis
- stationery
Show the answer
purple prose: Her editor cut the purple prose and the story suddenly came alive.