Synonyms of wordy

wordy

adjective

ˈwər-dē 

1

as in rambling

using or containing more words than necessary to express an idea

her writing style is far too wordy for my tastes

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

2

as in rhetoric

of or relating to words or language

the neighborhood dispute escalated into a wordy war conducted through angry letters to the editor in the local paper

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rhetoric
• verbal
• linguistic
• communicative
• linguistical
• rhetorical
• lexical
• vocabular
• conversational

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• nonverbal
• nonlinguistic
• nonlexical

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective wordy differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of wordy are diffuse, prolix, and verbose. While all these words mean "using more words than necessary to express thought," wordy may also imply loquaciousness or garrulity.

a wordy speech

When would diffuse be a good substitute for wordy?

The synonyms diffuse and wordy are sometimes interchangeable, but diffuse stresses lack of compactness and pointedness of style.

diffuse memoirs that are so many shaggy-dog stories

When is it sensible to use prolix instead of wordy?

The words prolix and wordy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, prolix suggests unreasonable and tedious dwelling on details.

habitually transformed brief anecdotes into prolix sagas

When can verbose be used instead of wordy?

While in some cases nearly identical to wordy, verbose suggests a resulting dullness, obscurity, or lack of incisiveness or precision.

the verbose position papers

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of wordy

Airing on October 6, the 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris included a question on the Middle East to which Harris initially gave a meandering, wordy answer. —Alena Botros, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2024

In the clip, Harris gave a wordy answer when Whitaker confronted her about Netanyahu seeming to not listen to the U.S. about how to handle conflict in the Middle East. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

There are all the hallmarks of the Spanish master: sumptuous interiors splashed with vibrant colors; rich, wordy roles for layered female characters; life-and-death stakes woven into the fabric of the everyday. —Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2024

But with wordy state statutes and police departments setting their own policies, requesting the records can be confusing. —Quinn Clark, Journal Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2024