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 Though some critics at the time were exasperated by having to read such a big, wordy book, The Times selected it as one of the best books of the year. Carolyn Kellogg, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2025 In the clip, Harris gave a wordy answer when asked about Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025 Payton has said, both with Nix and Russell Wilson before, that the main point of the band is to shorten some of the wordiest play calls. Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 4 Mar. 2025 A week after the Succession alum made a throwaway joke about a certain someone's wordy speeches, Adrien Brody broke the record for longest Oscars acceptance speech. EW.com, 3 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wordy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wordy
Adjective
  • Boelter’s motivation remains unclear, but investigators found a one-and-a-half-page letter, described as rambling and difficult to read, that was ascribed to him.
    Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Cristin Milioti’s therapy notes, Seth Rogen’s rambling delight, Owen Cooper’s halting honesty, all examples of presence that will outlast the highlight reels of gowns and jokes.
    Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • After all, for seven seasons, Graham and Bledel starred as the unstoppable (and oh-so-talkative) mother-daughter duo of Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, the two besties at the center of Stars Hollow, a small Connecticut town with a very big personality.
    Samantha Highfill, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Harjo understands better than all but a few of his star’s previous collaborators how to weaponize Hawke’s gift for playing talkative dirtbags who are equal parts insufferable and charming.
    Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • That could put them at a disadvantage compared to upcoming glasses like those from Google, which have a display for showing information along with providing verbal answers.
    Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2025
  • As such, wardrobe styling and other modes of non-verbal communication — from raising an eyebrow or throwing a cutting look to the way one lights a cigarette or sways to a disco beat — were particularly key to creating character.
    Angelique Jackson, Variety, 14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • In 1949, a young American artist named Ray Johnson left Black Mountain College near Asheville, N.C., moved to New York City and began to explore his prolix talents, both visual and verbal.
    Roberta Smith, New York Times, 30 May 2024
  • His answer is this book: a laudably sincere, exasperatingly prolix and occasionally affecting rumination on the state of Egypt—its society, culture, history and politics—pegged to the maddening bureaucracy of the archive.
    Kapil Komireddi, WSJ, 12 Mar. 2023
Adjective
  • There are arguments for Turkish, Serbo-Croatian, and Lithuanian roots, among others, suggestive of the linguistic cross-fertilizations of central and southeastern Europe.
    Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Forty years ago, Donald Homa, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University specializing in memory and the visual perception of linguistic stimuli, was contacted by officials at the American Speed Reading Academy with an extraordinary tale.
    Big Think, Big Think, 16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Whitney Decker told the detective her ex-husband had always been communicative about their children and previously returned them when he was supposed to.
    Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Communicate And Collaborate On AI Usage Rules Be collaborative and communicative.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wordy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wordy. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.

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