Seussian

adjective

Seuss·​ian ˈsü-sē-ən How to pronounce Seussian (audio)
variants or less commonly Dr. Seussian
chiefly US
: of, relating to, or suggestive of the works of Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel)
especially : having a playfully inventive or outlandish quality typical or reminiscent of the words and images found in children's stories like The Cat in the Hat and How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Seussian rhymes
an elaborate, Seussian contraption
… a fantastical landscape with Seussian trees and surprising, pleasing tiny details … Kirkus Reviews
Their ships … were dragged out of the water and into the muddy streets, where they found brash new lives as hotels and jailhouses—weird Dr. Seussian hybrids of vessel and building … Armistead Maupin

Examples of Seussian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As The Grinch, the big sell is the way Carrey naturally contorts his face to conjure the Seussian character’s trademark grimace. Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024 The restaurant has moved a few blocks north, for one, and Solondz’s hair is now gray and Seussian in light wisps, his large features ornamented by bright-blue circular glasses. Elena Saavedra Buckley, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2024 The water was clear, boasting burgeoning reefs and deep dropoffs, sea sponges standing tall like Dr. Seussian skyscrapers as fish, seahorses, and otters coasted on the waves. Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 15 July 2024 Wind and rain have eroded the original deposit into Seussian spires and box canyons, leaving what looks like a drip castle rising from the bush. Discover Magazine, 9 Feb. 2024 The vast seas of Styrofoam suggest the makings of a theme park attraction rather than a whimsically Seussian environment, while its inhabitants are effectively lost under their latex appliances. Michael Rechtshaffen, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Nov. 2023 That radical rejection of the right-angled box permeated the late-20th-century avant-garde, yielding, for example, the Seussian skein of hanging ramps and skybridge staircases in Zaha Hadid’s MAXXI museum in Rome. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 22 Feb. 2023 Why even bother with goalies and beaters and all the other Seussian bits and bobbles that comprise a Quidditch match? Erik Kain, Forbes, 19 Apr. 2023 Joshua Tree National Park: Named for its Seussian trees, the 1,240-square-mile park has nine camping areas and more than 30 hiking trails at the intersection of the Mojave and Colorado deserts. Rosecrans Baldwin, Travel + Leisure, 30 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Seussian was in 1935

Dictionary Entries Near Seussian

Cite this Entry

“Seussian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Seussian. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.

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