wordy

adjective

ˈwər-dē How to pronounce wordy (audio)
Definition of wordynext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in verbal
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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 wordy In frank yet wordy songs that layer guitars and synths over shimmering grooves, Duff sings about trying to overcome old habits and about her fear that her best times are behind her. — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026 Here are the full tiebreaker rules from FIFA for teams that have the same number of points following their three group stage matches (plus a quick translation for a couple of the wordier tiebreakers). — Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2026 During a Moon-Pluto trine with Luna in your connected 7th house and Pluto in your wordy 3rd house, you’re called to strengthen your agreements through open dialogue. — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 24 Feb. 2026 With Payton and Nix, in particular, part of the rationale was to get some of Payton’s most wordy calls on the band so the coach could give short-hand to Nix, creating a couple of extra seconds for the quarterback to spit out a call that might be15 or 20 words long. — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wordy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wordy
  1. rambling
  2. verbal
  3. talkative
  4. linguistic
  5. prolix
  6. communicative
  7. rhetorical
Adjective
  • Honeysuckle The warm, heady, floral scent of honeysuckle, which is strongest at dusk, is instantly recognizable, and the romantically rambling vines and tubular blooms make the climbing varieties cottage-garden classics.
    — Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 22 June 2026
  • Vocals have an offhand nonchalance instead of hogging the spotlight, melodies sneak up on you rather than announce themselves, and the guitars avoid crunchy riffs and overdriven twang in favor of tart rambling and clean supporting chords.
    — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 19 June 2026
Definition of rambling
Adjective
  • Ro said interactive chatbots have technological hurdles to overcome, such as a mismatch between their verbal comments and their facial expressions.
    — Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • According to the preliminary investigation, a woman and Diguglielmo got into a verbal fight over a parking space, BSO said.
    — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026
Definition of verbal
Adjective
  • The great speculators became talkative and communicative or dull, sullen, silent, and peevish.
    — Owen Lamont, Fortune, 2 July 2026
  • Doing this kind of work with other talkative animals, such as dolphins, would be much more difficult.
    — Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 26 June 2026
Definition of talkative
Adjective
  • Learning the Indonesian language, Bahasa Indonesia, is also part of the French team’s program, as linguistic proximity has already proven effective with other international partners.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 4 July 2026
  • That his language was English and not American was the cause of ample anxiety for a linguistic nationalist like Webster, no less than my own as evidenced in my rejoinders to a bartender at the Boot Pub more than two centuries later.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2026
Definition of linguistic
Adjective
  • Even the blandest overtures can whip him into a frantic, pornographic, prolix ecstasy.
    — Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2026
  • The album is a concise, 10-song set, a deliberate contrast to prolix streaming-era albums like the ones released lately by Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.
    — Jon Pareles, New York Times, 17 May 2024
Definition of prolix
Adjective
  • But the highest-value layer will be people who combine financial fluency with the kind of strategic, communicative intelligence that helps the whole organization make better decisions.
    — Jack O'Hara, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • The great speculators became talkative and communicative or dull, sullen, silent, and peevish.
    — Owen Lamont, Fortune, 2 July 2026
Definition of communicative
Adjective
  • But Trump so far, it’s mostly been rhetorical.
    — NBC news, NBC news, 28 June 2026
  • Beginning in her early teens, Joyce loved watching Kirk’s debates on Instagram, seeing in them not carefully honed rhetorical tactics but authentic civility.
    — Eliza Griswold, New Yorker, 22 June 2026
Definition of rhetorical

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wordsmith
wordy
wore
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Cite this Entry

“Wordy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wordy. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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