Sententious: meaning, definitions and examples

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sententious

 

[ senˈten(t)SHəs ]

Context #1

in speaking or writing

given to moralizing in a pompous or affected manner

Synonyms

moralistic, pontifical, preachy

Examples of usage

  • She disliked his sententious pronouncements.
  • His sententious style irritated me.
Context #2

literature

concise and full of meaning

Synonyms

concise, pithy, succinct

Examples of usage

  • The author's sententious prose captivated the readers.
  • The play was filled with sententious dialogues.

Translations

Translations of the word "sententious" in other languages:

🇵🇹 sentencioso

🇮🇳 उपदेशात्मक

🇩🇪 geschwätzig

🇮🇩 berlebihan

🇺🇦 повчальний

🇵🇱 napuszony

🇯🇵 説教じみた

🇫🇷 sentencieux

🇪🇸 sentencioso

🇹🇷 vecizeli

🇰🇷 교훈적인

🇸🇦 متكلف

🇨🇿 sentenční

🇸🇰 sentenčný

🇨🇳 说教的

🇸🇮 sentenciozen

🇮🇸 orðaglaður

🇰🇿 сентенциялы

🇬🇪 სენტენციური

🇦🇿 sentensial

🇲🇽 sentencioso

Word origin

The word 'sententious' originated from the Latin word 'sententiosus', meaning full of meaning, significant. It first appeared in the English language in the early 17th century. Over time, the word evolved to have dual meanings, one negative related to pompous moralizing and the other positive related to concise expression of significant ideas.

See also: sentencing.