Meaning & use
aphoristic
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Written or spoken in brief, pointed sayings that pack a general truth or piece of wisdom into a line or two.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun (an aphoristic style) but can follow a linking verb: her prose is aphoristic.
Patterns
- an aphoristic style
- aphoristic wisdom
The novelist's aphoristic prose gave readers a quotable line on almost every page.
He answered in an aphoristic way, offering a neat saying instead of a real explanation.
Her speech was aphoristic, and the audience kept scribbling down her best lines.
Word forms
| comparative | more aphoristic |
|---|---|
| superlative | most aphoristic |
Common combinations
- aphoristic style
- The essayist's aphoristic style made each paragraph end on a memorable twist.
- aphoristic wit
- Her aphoristic wit kept the dinner conversation sparkling.
- aphoristic remark
- His aphoristic remark about luck and hard work was repeated all week.
- aphoristic form
- Nietzsche often wrote in aphoristic form rather than long arguments.
- aphoristic turn of phrase
- She has an aphoristic turn of phrase that suits headlines and speeches.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pithy
- Pithy stresses that something is short and full of meaning, while aphoristic also suggests the line states a general truth.
- epigrammatic
- Epigrammatic usually implies a clever, witty, often surprising turn, whereas aphoristic can be plainly serious.
- terse
- Terse only means brief and can sound curt, but it does not promise any wisdom the way aphoristic does.
- sententious
- Sententious often criticizes someone for sounding preachy with moral sayings, so it is far more negative than aphoristic.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: aphoristic or apocryphal?
aphoristic vs apocryphal
Apocryphal sounds similar but means of doubtful authenticity, as in an apocryphal quote; aphoristic describes a short, pointed style.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'aphoristic' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Aphoristic describes writing or speech built from short, wise sayings, so the columnist is the fit. A four-hour wandering lecture is the opposite of brief and pointed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “aphoristic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.