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Sesquipedalian: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Sesquipedalian adjective. Given to using long words, or itself long and many-syllabled.
How to say it
ses-kwih-pih-DAY-lee-un/ˌsɛskwɪpɪˈdeɪlɪən/
6 syllables, stressed on the fourth (DAY).
Sesquipedalian in a sentence
Our sesquipedalian professor never said 'use' when 'utilise' was available.
Even by legal standards, the contract was sesquipedalian.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- long-winded
- polysyllabic
- grandiloquent
- lexiphanic
Where sesquipedalian comes from
From Horace's phrase sesquipedalia verba, words a foot and a half long.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Even by legal standards, the contract was _____.
- pithy
- sesquipedalian
- loquacious
Show the answer
sesquipedalian: Even by legal standards, the contract was sesquipedalian.