polysyllabic
adjective
poly·syl·lab·ic ˌpä-lē-sə-ˈla-bik 
1
: having more than one and usually more than three syllables
2
: characterized by words of many syllables
polysyllabically
ˌpä-lē-sə-ˈla-bi-k(ə-)lē
adverb 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Gilbert, for instance, enjoyed sending up the polysyllabic pomposity of the English oratory of his day. 
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 23 May 2022 Translated into clear and simple English, our polysyllabic poem turned out to be Row, row, row your boat ... Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Oct. 2021 Variants, mandates, quarantines and requirements -- who knew 2021 would be so polysyllabic? Maureen O'hare, CNN, 21 Aug. 2021 Her cousin Berg takes pleasure in spouting polysyllabic, pedantic words that belie his hulking form. oregonlive, 11 Feb. 2020 In his pursuit to become prime minister, Mr. Johnson has adapted his old habits — the theatrics, the polysyllabic put-downs, the outlandish plans — for the Brexit era. Benjamin Mueller, New York Times, 22 July 2019 Now it’s been traded for polysyllabic corporatese, a negation (de-) of an abstraction (centralize). Gregory Barber, WIRED, 24 June 2019 The exploits of the polysyllabic heroes of the 1821 rebellion against the Ottoman Empire captivated me long before those of the Hardy Boys did. George Kalogerakis, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2017 Mr. Rodríguez-Lopez’s guitar riffs stop and start, churn and flail; Cedric Bixler-Zavala sings salvos of polysyllabic lyrics, flinging dystopian imagery in all directions. Jon Pareles, New York Times, 3 May 2017 See More
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 23 May 2022 Translated into clear and simple English, our polysyllabic poem turned out to be Row, row, row your boat ... Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Oct. 2021 Variants, mandates, quarantines and requirements -- who knew 2021 would be so polysyllabic? Maureen O'hare, CNN, 21 Aug. 2021 Her cousin Berg takes pleasure in spouting polysyllabic, pedantic words that belie his hulking form. oregonlive, 11 Feb. 2020 In his pursuit to become prime minister, Mr. Johnson has adapted his old habits — the theatrics, the polysyllabic put-downs, the outlandish plans — for the Brexit era. Benjamin Mueller, New York Times, 22 July 2019 Now it’s been traded for polysyllabic corporatese, a negation (de-) of an abstraction (centralize). Gregory Barber, WIRED, 24 June 2019 The exploits of the polysyllabic heroes of the 1821 rebellion against the Ottoman Empire captivated me long before those of the Hardy Boys did. George Kalogerakis, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2017 Mr. Rodríguez-Lopez’s guitar riffs stop and start, churn and flail; Cedric Bixler-Zavala sings salvos of polysyllabic lyrics, flinging dystopian imagery in all directions. Jon Pareles, New York Times, 3 May 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Medieval Latin polysyllabus, from Greek polysyllabos, from poly- + syllabē syllable
First Known Use
1774, in the meaning defined at sense 1
- conjunctions
- conjunctiva
- conjunctivae
- conjunctival
- conjunctivas
- conjunctive
- conjunctive legacy
- conjunctive tissue
- conjunctively
- conjunctives
- conjunctivitis
- conjunctivitises
- conjuncts
- conjuncture
- conjunctures
- conjunto
- conjuntos
- conjuration
- conjurations
- conjurators
- conjure
- conjure (up)
- conjure up
- conjure with
- conjured