diffuse 1 of 2

adjective

di-ˈfyüs How to pronounce diffuse (audio)
Definition of diffusenext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

diffuse

2 of 2

verb

as in to disperse

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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

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.
Recent Examples of diffuse
Adjective
Community and social support is diffuse, relational, and hard to measure. — Kyle Vanelli, STAT, 14 Aug. 2026 Americans’ very insulation from the wars Washington wages, and the diffuse nature of those wars’ costs, serves to defuse political opposition. — Emma Ashford, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2026
Verb
Differences between the mid- and forebrain seem to arise later, and largely due to the action of signaling molecules that diffuse through the developing brain and provide positional information. — John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2026 The matte finish is perfect to diffuse skin while adding dimension. — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for diffuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diffuse
  1. rambling
  2. disperse
  3. exaggerated
  4. dispel
  5. talkative
  6. dissipate
  7. communicative
  8. ray
Adjective
  • Dylan Young and his Melbourne group fill their third album with winsome and warm tracks whose best moments combine rambling guitars with tales of bruising regret.
    — Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
  • After the event was disrupted by an armed intruder, the Administration and the association scheduled a July do-over, where Trump delivered a rambling speech indulging seemingly every tangent that sprang to mind, but his contempt remained apparent.
    — Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of rambling
Verb
  • For an intervention dispersed through a harbor and out to sea, that may be as close as the ocean gets to a meter reading.
    — Alec Luhn, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse rioters, many with their faces covered, who clashed with police, looted stores and set property on fire in central Milan on Saturday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of disperse
Adjective
  • The team’s 23-year-old in-house expert in men’s tailoring, Mario Vidal, also cut Carlos’s jackets to be wide on the shoulders and tight at the waist, adding further drama with exaggerated lapels.
    — Elaina Patton, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2026
  • In a series of TikTok videos made yesterday, North West debuted an exaggerated prosthetic chin and slick-black bob, tagging the Bad Girls star.
    — Isabella Albaig, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of exaggerated
Verb
  • Essayli pointed to those descriptions to dispel arguments that federal authorities have not provided their methodology for identifying potential noncitizens on voter rolls.
    — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Some of the symposium's organizers, like Ashley Mason, a clinical psychologist at the University of California, San Francisco, acknowledge their goal is partly to dispel the whiff of wellness hype.
    — Will Stone, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of dispel
Adjective
  • Elementary school students may have tantrums, be clingy, have toileting accidents, engage in uncontrollable crying or become less talkative as a result of changes in schools, homes and caregivers.
    — Nikki R Wooten, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
  • In the past, Cooper has had an active online life, a cheerful and talkative presence behind his thick black beard.
    — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of talkative
Verb
  • Experts said some of the tension – particularly on issues related to diesel, with Trump blaming Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries for soaring prices rather than the Iran war – may dissipate after the US midterms.
    — Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Their grip on song structure has loosened with each record and, by their most recent, 2024’s Exotic Birds of Prey, nearly dissipated altogether.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of dissipate
Adjective
  • Through the administration’s embrace (and extensive personal leveraging) of crypto’s potential, crypto and retail speculation are increasingly being woven into the fabric of communicative and cultural spaces.
    — Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The arrival ceremony suggested that others understood the communicative potential of clothes at such an event, too.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of communicative
Verb
  • Scientists have long grouped sharks together as a natural evolutionary unit, meaning every shark species shares a common ancestor that rays and skates do not.
    — Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
  • The PlayStation 5 Pro is a more powerful spin on the vanilla PS5, thanks to ray tracing and AI upscaling that give games a visual boost.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
Definition of ray

Browse Nearby Words

diffidently
diffuse
diffused
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Cite this Entry

“Diffuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diffuse. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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