sententious

adjective

sen·ten·tious sen-ˈten(t)-shəs How to pronounce sententious (audio)

: given to or abounding in aphoristic expression

: given to or abounding in excessive moralizing

: terse, aphoristic, or moralistic in expression : pithy, epigrammatic

sententiously adverb

sententiousness noun

Did you know?

Nowadays, "sententious" is usually uncomplimentary, implying banality, oversimplification, and excessive moralizing. But that hasn't always been the case, nor is it universally so even now. The original Middle English sense of "sententious" was "full of meaning," a meaning adopted from Latin sententiosus (from sententia, meaning "sentence" or "maxim"). In Modern English, too, "sententious" has sometimes referred to what is full of significance and expressed tersely. Or sometimes "sententious" simply suggests an affinity for aphorisms, as when it refers to the likes of Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard (of almanac fame), the homespun philosopher given to such statements as "early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."

Example Sentences

a smug and sententious writer a sententious crank who has written countless letters to the editor about the decline in family values

Recent Examples on the Web 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 These are the sententious keynote presentations, used to dazzle investors or recruit employees, that try to get a startup to seem like a holy mission.

Wired, 22 Oct. 2019 What’s more, Charles’s sententious interpretation of noblesse oblige leaves him open to the charge of overstepping the constitutional boundaries of his position.

Zoë Heller, The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2017

单词	sententiousness
释义	sententious adjective sen·ten·tious sen-ˈten(t)-shəs 1 a : given to or abounding in aphoristic expression b : given to or abounding in excessive moralizing 2 : terse, aphoristic, or moralistic in expression : pithy, epigrammatic sententiously adverb sententiousness noun Did you know? Nowadays, "sententious" is usually uncomplimentary, implying banality, oversimplification, and excessive moralizing. But that hasn't always been the case, nor is it universally so even now. The original Middle English sense of "sententious" was "full of meaning," a meaning adopted from Latin sententiosus (from sententia, meaning "sentence" or "maxim"). In Modern English, too, "sententious" has sometimes referred to what is full of significance and expressed tersely. Or sometimes "sententious" simply suggests an affinity for aphorisms, as when it refers to the likes of Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard (of almanac fame), the homespun philosopher given to such statements as "early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Synonyms didactic homiletic homiletical moralistic moralizing preachy sermonic See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences a smug and sententious writer a sententious crank who has written countless letters to the editor about the decline in family values Recent Examples on the Web 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 These are the sententious keynote presentations, used to dazzle investors or recruit employees, that try to get a startup to seem like a holy mission. Wired, 22 Oct. 2019 What’s more, Charles’s sententious interpretation of noblesse oblige leaves him open to the charge of overstepping the constitutional boundaries of his position. Zoë Heller, The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2017 Word History Etymology Middle English, full of meaning, from Latin sententiosus, from sententia sentence, maxim First Known Use 1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1a sententiousness noun as in concision the quality or state of being marked by or using only few words to convey much meaning the sententiousness of the state's motto, "Live Free or Die," has not rendered it any less controversial Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance concision conciseness shortness terseness pithiness compactness succinctness crispness bluntness brusqueness abruptness brevity curtness briefness Antonyms & Near Antonyms prolixity diffuseness wordiness verbosity repetitiousness long-windedness tautology periphrasis repetitiveness redundancy pleonasm See More
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sententious

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

noun