If you describe a person's speech or something that they write as wordy, you disapprove of the fact that they use too many words, especially words which are very long, formal, or literary.
[disapproval]
The chapter is mostly wordy rhetoric.
Synonyms: long-winded, rambling, windy, diffuse More Synonyms of wordy
wordy in British English
(ˈwɜːdɪ)
adjectiveWord forms: wordier or wordiest
1.
using, inclined to use, or containing an excess of words
a wordy writer
a wordy document
2.
of the nature of or relating to words; verbal
Derived forms
wordily (ˈwordily)
adverb
wordiness (ˈwordiness)
noun
wordy in American English
(ˈwɜrdi)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈwordier or ˈwordiest
1.
of words; verbal
2.
containing or using many or too many words; verbose
SYNONYMY NOTE: wordy is the general word implying the use of more words in speaking or writing than arenecessary for communication [a wordy document]; verbose suggests a wordiness that results in obscurity, tediousness, bombast, etc. [a verbose acceptance speech]; prolix implies such a tiresome elaboration of trivial details as to be boring or dull [his prolix sermons]; diffuse suggests such verbosity and loose construction as to lose all force and sharpness[a rambling, diffuse harangue]; redundant, in this connection, implies the use of unnecessary or repetitious words or phrases[a redundant literary style]
OPPOSITES: concise, terse, pithy
Derived forms
wordily (ˈwordily)
adverb
wordiness (ˈwordiness)
noun
Synonyms of 'wordy'
long-winded, rambling, windy, diffuse
More Synonyms of wordy
(adjective)
Definition
using too many words, esp. long words
His speech is full of wordy rhetoric.
Synonyms
long-winded
The manifesto is long-winded and repetitious.
rambling
He wrote a rambling letter to his sister.
windy
I have a horror of turning into a windy old bore.
diffuse
His writing is so diffuse that it is almost impossible to understand.
garrulous
boring, garrulous prose
discursive
The book is characterized by a reflective, discursive style.
loquacious
The normally loquacious man said little.
verbose
When drunk, he becomes pompous and verbose.
prolix
pleonastic (rare)
Opposites
short
,
brief
,
to the point
,
concise
,
terse
,
laconic
,
succinct
,
pithy
Additional synonyms
in the sense of diffuse
Definition
lacking conciseness
His writing is so diffuse that it is almost impossible to understand.
Synonyms
rambling,
loose,
vague,
meandering,
waffling (informal),
long-winded,
wordy,
discursive,
verbose,
prolix,
maundering,
digressive,
diffusive,
circumlocutory
in the sense of discursive
Definition
passing from one topic to another
The book is characterized by a reflective, discursive style.