Meaning & use
stilted
Last updated
Stiff, unnatural, or overly formal in manner, especially in speech or writing.
See it in a sentence
The dialogue in the film felt stilted and rehearsed.
His stilted apology did little to ease the tension.
A note on using this word
Originally described something raised on stilts; the figurative sense of 'artificially elevated or formal' emerged in the 19th century.
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