Meaning & use
polysyllabic
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparabletechnical
Made up of several syllables, which usually means more than two or three.
Grammar: Can go before a noun or after be: a polysyllabic word, or the term is polysyllabic.
Patterns
- a polysyllabic word
Hippopotamus is a polysyllabic word with five syllables.
Many Latin-derived terms are polysyllabic, while Old English words tend to be short.
The reading test used polysyllabic words such as elaborate and necessary.
adjectivecomparablehumorous
Using long, complicated words, often in a way that sounds showy or hard to follow.
Grammar: A mildly critical, humorous use about speech or writing: polysyllabic prose.
Patterns
- polysyllabic prose
- polysyllabic language
The professor's polysyllabic lectures lost half the class.
Her polysyllabic emails made simple requests sound like legal notices.
He answered the question in polysyllabic jargon that nobody understood.
Word forms
| comparative | more polysyllabic |
|---|---|
| superlative | most polysyllabic |
Common combinations
- polysyllabic word
- Beginners often stumble over each polysyllabic word.
- polysyllabic language
- The report was written in polysyllabic language.
- polysyllabic prose
- Dense polysyllabic prose filled the old textbook.
- polysyllabic name
- The village has a long, polysyllabic name.
- polysyllabic jargon
- He hid behind polysyllabic jargon.
Synonyms and how they differ
- multisyllabic
- Multisyllabic means the same thing in the first sense, and is often used by teachers of reading.
- long-winded
- Long-winded describes speech that goes on too long, not words with many syllables.
- pompous
- Pompous describes self-important style or manner, whereas polysyllabic is about word length.
- sesquipedalian
- Sesquipedalian is a rare, humorous term for a very long word, or for someone who uses them.
Opposites
Word family
- syllable noun
- a unit of sound in a word
- syllabic adjective
- relating to syllables
- monosyllabic adjective
- having only one syllable, or answering in very short words
- polysyllable noun
- a word of several syllables
Commonly confused: polysyllabic or monosyllabic? polysyllabic or polyglot?
polysyllabic vs monosyllabic
Monosyllabic means having one syllable. It can also describe someone who replies in very short answers.
polysyllabic vs polyglot
A polyglot is a person who speaks many languages. Polysyllabic describes a word with many syllables.
Practice
Which word is polysyllabic?
Choose one answer.
Umbrella has three syllables, so it is polysyllabic. Cat, strength and clock each have one.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “polysyllabic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.