Meaning & use

sesquipedalian

adjective·Advanced

Given to using long, often unnecessarily complicated words.

See it in a sentence

His sesquipedalian writing style made even simple ideas hard to follow.

The professor's sesquipedalian vocabulary impressed some students and confused others.

A note on using this word

Sesquipedalian is itself a long word, often used somewhat playfully to criticize overly complex language.

Words with a similar meaning

verbose

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “sesquipedalian”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.