Synonyms of diffuse

diffuse 1 of 2

adjective

di-ˈfyüs 

as in rambling

using or containing more words than necessary to express an idea

a diffuse speech that took a great deal of time to make a very small point

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rambling
• exaggerated
• talkative
• communicative
• prolix
• verbose
• redundant
• circuitous
• conversational
• wordy
• circumlocutory
• pleonastic
• garrulous
• windy
• long-winded
• logorrheic
• voluble
• gaseous
• talky
• repetitious
• loquacious
• chatty
• periphrastic
• bombastic
• tautological
• gassy
• embroidered
• tautologous
• embellished
• gabby
• grandiloquent
• hifalutin
• highfalutin

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• compact
• concise
• succinct
• terse
• pithy
• crisp
• short
• brief
• epigrammatic
• summary
• aphoristic
• condensed
• sententious
• abbreviated
• blunt
• compendious
• abrupt
• abridged
• shortened
• brusque
• curt
• laconic
• snippy
• brusk

diffuse

2 of 2

verb

as in to disperse

Related Words

• disperse
• dispel
• dissipate
• ray
• radiate
• stem
• branch
• split
• fan (out)
• divide
• fork
• diverge
• ramify
• derive
• emanate
• flow
• scatter
• proceed
• spread
• separate
• part
• issue
• arise
• uncouple
• splay
• unyoke
• unlink
• spring

Dissimilar Words

• focus
• concentrate
• meet
• converge
• approach
• funnel
• near
• connect
• join
• unite
• centralize
• couple
• close in (on)
• link
• center (on)

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective diffuse differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of diffuse are prolix, verbose, and wordy. While all these words mean "using more words than necessary to express thought," diffuse stresses lack of compactness and pointedness of style.

diffuse memoirs that are so many shaggy-dog stories

When would prolix be a good substitute for diffuse?

The meanings of prolix and diffuse largely overlap; however, prolix suggests unreasonable and tedious dwelling on details.

habitually transformed brief anecdotes into prolix sagas

When is verbose a more appropriate choice than diffuse?

While the synonyms verbose and diffuse are close in meaning, verbose suggests a resulting dullness, obscurity, or lack of incisiveness or precision.

the verbose position papers

Where would wordy be a reasonable alternative to diffuse?

Although the words wordy and diffuse have much in common, wordy may also imply loquaciousness or garrulity.

a wordy speech

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of diffuse

Adjective

Soft, blurred, and beautifully diffused, watercolor blush is the painterly flush that’s quietly stealing the spotlight. —Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 31 July 2025

Davis is particularly adept at taking an overwhelming feeling—love, grief, existential duress—and diffusing it. —Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 14 July 2025

Verb

The red regions toward the top of this image are areas where dust clouds are relatively diffuse. —Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2022

Dragonfly 44 and its ilk are known as ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs). —Lyndie Chiou, Quanta Magazine, 7 Nov. 2022