1.
Bombastic
(SENTENCE: Her journey to this conservative stage was not as a bombastic commentator, but as an academic and writer. (website): MEANING: (of speech/writing) high-sounding, high-flown, inflated, pretentious
ORIGIN: 1695-1705
PART OF SPEECH: adjective
2.
Brevity
(SENTENCE: Brevity is the soul of wit. (provided by website): MEANING: the quality of expressing much in few words; terseness
ORIGIN: 1500-10 Anglo-French, Old French
PART OF SPEECH: noun
3.
Circumlocution
(SENTENCE: The teacher represented an example of circumlocution in her lecture today. (me): MEANING: a roundabout/indirect way of speaking/the use of more words than necessary to express an idea
ORIGIN: 1375-1425 late Middle English, Latin
PART OF SPEECH: noun
4.
Colloquial
(SENTENCE: I felt like my speech was colloquial compared to Timmy's speech. (me): MEANING: characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary/familiar conversation rather than formal speech/writing (informal)
ORIGIN: 1745-55
PART OF SPEECH: adjective
5.
Concise
(SENTENCE: They informed us of a concise explanation of the company's retirement plan. (website): MEANING: expressing/covering much in few words; brief in form but comprehensive in scope
ORIGIN: 1580-90 Latin
PART OF SPEECH: adjective
6.
Diffuse
(SENTENCE: Their heartbreaking story gives this frequently diffuse text a human center. (website): MEANING: characterized by great length/discursiveness in speech/writing; wordy
ORIGIN: 1350-1400 Middle English, Anglo-French, Latin
PART OF SPEECH: adjective
7.
Digress
(SENTENCE: When writing a paper, take care not to digress. (website): MEANING: to deviate/wander away from the main topic/purpose in speaking/writing; depart from the principal line of argument
ORIGIN: 1520-30 Latin
PART OF SPEECH: verb
8.
Eloquence
(SENTENCE: The flow of eloquence was superb. (website): MEANING: the practice/art of using language with fluency & aptness
ORIGIN: 1350-1400 Middle English, Anglo-French, Latin
PART OF SPEECH: noun
9.
Garrulous
(SENTENCE: The wine made him garrulous. (website): MEANING: excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, especially about trivial matters
ORIGIN: 1605-15 Latin
PART OF SPEECH: adjective
10.
Grandiloquent
(SENTENCE: Alex Trebek is often grandiloquent when speaking on the television show "Jeopardy". (me): MEANING: speaking/expressed in a lofty style, often to the point of being pompous/bombastic
ORIGIN: 1585-95
PART OF SPEECH: adjective
11.
Laconic
(SENTENCE: She used a laconic reply. (website): MEANING: using few words; expressing much in few words
ORIGIN: 1580-90 Latin, Greek
PART OF SPEECH: adjective
12.
Loquacious
(SENTENCE: The chairman of the club was a loquacious dinner guest. (website): MEANING: talking/tending to talk much/freely, talkative, chattering, babbling, garrulous
ORIGIN: 1660-70
PART OF SPEECH: adjective
13.
Pithy
(SENTENCE: He gave a pithy observation. (website): MEANING: brief, forceful, & meaningful in expression; full of vigor, substance, or meaning
ORIGIN: 1300-50 Middle English
PART OF SPEECH: adjective
14.
Prattle
(SENTENCE: The children tend to prattle quite a bit. (me): MEANING: to talk in a foolish/simple-minded way; chatter, babble
ORIGIN: 1525-35 Middle Low German
PART OF SPEECH: verb
15.
Quiescent
(SENTENCE: The child had a quiescent mind. (website): MEANING: being at rest, quiet, still, inactive/motionless
ORIGIN: 1600-10 Latin
PART OF SPEECH: adjective
16.
Ramble
(SENTENCE: I always find myself beginning to ramble. (me): MEANING: to talk/write in a decursive, aimless way
ORIGIN: 1610-20 (uncertain)
PART OF SPEECH: verb
17.
Rant
(SENTENCE: The professor ranted for hours on end. (me): MEANING: to speak/declaim extravagantly/violently; talk in a wild/vehement way; rave
ORIGIN: 1590-1600 Dutch
PART OF SPEECH: verb
18.
Reticent
(SENTENCE: My grandfather was always reticent around others. (me): MEANING: disposed to be silent/not to speak freely, reserved
ORIGIN: 1825-35 Latin
PART OF SPEECH: adjective
19.
Rhetorical
(SENTENCE: The question seemed rhetorical to me. (me): MEANING: used for, belonging to, or concerned with mere style/effect
ORIGIN: 1470-80 Latin
PART OF SPEECH: adjective
20.
Succinct
(SENTENCE: The poem was succinct when recited. (me): MEANING: expressed in few words
ORIGIN: 1400-50 late Middle English, Latin
PART OF SPEECH: adjective
21.
Taciturn
(SENTENCE: The new girl was taciturn while in class. (me): MEANING: inclined to silence; reserved in speech; reluctant to join in conversation
ORIGIN: 1765-75 Latin
PART OF SPEECH: adjective
22.
Terse
(SENTENCE: The preacher's message Sunday was terse. (me): MEANING: neatly/effictively; concise brief & pithy; as language
ORIGIN: 1595-1605 Latin
PART OF SPEECH: adjective
23.
Verbose
(SENTENCE: My classmate had a verbose report in class yesterday. (website): MEANING: characterized by the use of many/too many words; wordy
ORIGIN: 1665-75 Latin
PART OF SPEECH: adjective
24.
Voluble
(SENTENCE: The business man was a voluble spokesman for the cause. (website): MEANING: characterized by a ready & continuous flow of words; fluent; talkative
ORIGIN: 1565-75 Latin
PART OF SPEECH: adjective