Meaning & use
verbiage
Last updated
Speech or writing that uses far more words than necessary, often making the meaning harder to follow.
See it in a sentence
The contract was full of legal verbiage that took a lawyer to untangle.
She cut the verbiage from her report until only the key findings remained.
A note on using this word
Verbiage almost always carries a negative sense, pointing at excess words rather than at clear, useful ones.
Words with a similar meaning
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 “verbiage”, then compare your use with the examples above.