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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sententious
This conclusion will shock anyone who knows Twain only through his writing, in which the author is wise and witty and, above all, devastating in his portrayal of frauds, cretins, and sententious bores.
—
Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 9 May 2025
Audiences have no choice but to exist in the theatrical moment, without recourse to linear logic, sententious language or psychological epiphanies.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2025
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
Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 9 May 2025
Audiences have no choice but to exist in the theatrical moment, without recourse to linear logic, sententious language or psychological epiphanies.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sententious
Adjective
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In a concise 30-to-45-minute session, volunteers learn to recognize warning signs, ask direct questions, validate the veterans' experience, and expedite referral to services—summarized by the acronym SAVE.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2025
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Scheduling a concise daily standup meeting can keep alignment tight.—
Max Avery,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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Just a brief walk from the preserve’s entrance, this unique grotto reveals a stunning 50-foot waterfall cascading into a jade-green pool.—
Symiah Dorsey,
Southern Living,
24 May 2025
-
India is emerging after a brief conflict with Pakistan, with a ceasefire thankfully appearing to hold for now.—
Vasuki Shastry,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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Unlike traditional employee income, business income does not always come with summary tax forms like the W2 at the end of the year.—
Vlad Rusz,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
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Deputy Attorney General Drew Ensign struggled to answer a barrage of Boasberg’s questions during a Thursday hearing in Washington’s federal court, home to a multi-week standoff over President Trump’s executive power to exert summary deportations in the name of national security.—
David Catanese,
Miami Herald,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In the wrong hands, this could be too didactic and clumsy, but it’s deftly executed, and the integration of songs, drama, and dance is seamless—and often stunning.—
Daniel Dylan Wray,
Pitchfork,
8 May 2025
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Unfortunately, the question of how much worth is placed on an Israeli life versus a Palestinian one is answered mostly in words, and thus, in too direct (and perhaps too didactic) a fashion, when so much of the movie’s drama could have grounded it emotionally.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The issue of identity is not just a fad but becomes a fact of self-determination — in this context, Dahomey’s flaws are instructive for this moment when race and gender exploitation runs rampant and unchecked.—
Armond White,
National Review,
16 May 2025
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Wagner’s interests away from the entertainment arena are instructive.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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Aster isn’t merely mocking them; his real point is that moralistic self-righteousness has become a kind of addiction in America.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
16 May 2025
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But the moralistic sneer didn’t take long to enter the postgame analysis.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sententious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sententious. Accessed 30 May. 2025.
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