1
as in homiletical
marked by or given to preaching moral values
a sententious crank who has written countless letters to the editor about the decline in family values
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2
as in concise
marked by the use of few words to convey much information or meaning
memoirs that are filled with sententious observations on love, marriage, and happiness
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of sententious
This is a bracing, even novel, perspective on a war whose film depictions so often traffic in sententious Greatest Generation platitudes.
—
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
Only the vivid image of the warped planks keeps this remark from being the type of sententious counsel that Polonius might have given his son.
—Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023
Without the wit inherent in an epigram, a sententious formulation becomes a mere adage, aphorism, apothegm, gnome, maxim, or saw.
—Bryan A. Garner, National Review, 15 Sep. 2022
Instead each event—from lethal accidents to vicious murders to Category 5 hurricanes—is immediately sorted into its prelabeled moral narrative file, each one full of similarly useful sententious parables.
—Gerard Baker, WSJ, 30 May 2022
Dialogue is rendered in the pseudo-profound pronouncements that have become the sententious lingua franca of the hero’s quest.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2022
This melodramatic narrative fits right into American indie filmmaker Kelly Reichardt’s domain, but Francis Lee is a less sententious proselytizer for gay life.
—Armond White, National Review, 13 Nov. 2020
These are the sententious keynote presentations, used to dazzle investors or recruit employees, that try to get a startup to seem like a holy mission.
—Wired, 22 Oct. 2019
What’s more, Charles’s sententious interpretation of noblesse oblige leaves him open to the charge of overstepping the constitutional boundaries of his position.
—Zoë Heller, The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2017
Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
Only the vivid image of the warped planks keeps this remark from being the type of sententious counsel that Polonius might have given his son.
—Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023
Without the wit inherent in an epigram, a sententious formulation becomes a mere adage, aphorism, apothegm, gnome, maxim, or saw.
—Bryan A. Garner, National Review, 15 Sep. 2022
Instead each event—from lethal accidents to vicious murders to Category 5 hurricanes—is immediately sorted into its prelabeled moral narrative file, each one full of similarly useful sententious parables.
—Gerard Baker, WSJ, 30 May 2022
Dialogue is rendered in the pseudo-profound pronouncements that have become the sententious lingua franca of the hero’s quest.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2022
This melodramatic narrative fits right into American indie filmmaker Kelly Reichardt’s domain, but Francis Lee is a less sententious proselytizer for gay life.
—Armond White, National Review, 13 Nov. 2020
These are the sententious keynote presentations, used to dazzle investors or recruit employees, that try to get a startup to seem like a holy mission.
—Wired, 22 Oct. 2019
What’s more, Charles’s sententious interpretation of noblesse oblige leaves him open to the charge of overstepping the constitutional boundaries of his position.
—Zoë Heller, The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sententious
Adjective
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President Donald Trump has long had a tendency to namecheck high-profile figures in concise terms of affection or derision.—
Adam Crafton,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
-
Below is a concise ABCD framework for proactive engagement: A – Activate Agency Stay Vigilant: Use AI with intention.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes,
15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
But there is a 10% to 20% chance of thunderstorms across the region, which could happen at any time, and could bring isolated, brief heavy rainfall at rates of half an inch an hour, Kittell said.—
Rong-Gong Lin II,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Jan. 2025
-
Questlove and editor Joshua L. Pearson visually annotate every major marker of Sly and the Family Stone’s brief, enormous career, which was very well documented.—
Vikram Murthi,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Sure enough, the summary destruction of that lonely Russian tank became fodder for the Phoenix drone group’s social media team.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
16 Jan. 2025
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It was delivered to the Task Force five days past the deadline, and contained less than four and half pages, more than half of which consisted of summary narratives.—
Chris Pandolfo,
Fox News,
19 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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There are several plot holes, extra scenes clearly included just to boost Sheridan's ego, and the dialogue has become overly preachy and didactic—almost as annoying as Aaron Sorkin's mini-sermons in later seasons of The West Wing, which is saying something.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
24 Dec. 2024
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Yet overall, the tone of the curation is hectoring and didactic, informed by humourless identity politics.—
The Week UK,
theweek,
29 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The comparison between Gazan civilians and German citizens under Nazi rule is stark but instructive.—
Todd L. Pittinsky,
Sun Sentinel,
26 Jan. 2025
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Head dispenses practice advice — making the film a kind of instructive tool — alongside philosophical musings.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
The Hollywood Reporter,
25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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As plans for January premières, luncheons, and awards shows were upended, we were treated to an almost moralistic spectacle of Tinseltown frivolities colliding with the elemental dictates of Mother Nature.—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
9 Jan. 2025
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And understanding that pleasure and pain relief are not necessarily joined at the hip might help the rest of us be less moralistic about adversity in everyday life.—
Richard A. Friedman,
The Atlantic,
29 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near sententious
Cite this Entry
“Sententious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sententious. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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