sesquipedalian

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   A long word.

   • “The fine old fellow,” as a Northern contemporary of ours patronizingly calls him, certainly rolled out his sesquipedalians with a majesty previously unknown, and gave a fine organ-like swell to his full-blow periods;
   • Fleet-streetese, the so-called English written to sell by the Fleet-streeter (q.v.), or baser sort of journalist: a mixture of sesquipedalians and slang, of phrases worn threadbare and phrases sprung from the kennel;
   • ‘Sometimes we converse in ballad-rhymes, sometimes in Johnsonian sesquipedalians; at tea we condescend to riddles and charades.’
2. 2

   A person who uses long words.

   • Word-watchers, verbivores, and sesquipedalians love a challenge.
   • ‘What sort of writer is the English professor looking for?’ / ‘He wants a sesquipedalian, of course.’
   • Don’t be a sesquipedalian! / Yes, you guessed right. A sesquipedalian is a person who enjoys long words.
3. 3

   Long

   Long; polysyllabic.

   • The most common use of "antidisestablishmentarianism" is as an example of a sesquipedalian word.
   • Happy word hunting! You might bag a sesquipedalian trophy! (Look it up in the dictionary).
4. ›+ 1 more definitionshow fewer

   1. 4

      Pertaining to or given to the use of overly long words.

      • Our dinner guest was so sesquipedalian that no one could understand what he said.

The neighborhood

• antonymmonosyllabicantonym(s) of “of long words”
• antonymbrachysyllabicantonym(s) of “of long words”
• antonymconciseantonym(s) of
• neighborhippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia
• neighborsesquipedal
• neighborsesquipedality