verbose language

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "verbose language" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when describing writing or speech that uses more words than necessary, often making it less clear. For example: "The report was filled with verbose language, making it difficult to understand the main points." Alternative expressions include "wordy language" and "excessive verbiage."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

3 human-written examples

These issues are deep and difficult enough without your having to muddy them up with pretentious or verbose language.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

When used selectively as a pretense, to be lauded as sublime because of verbose language suggesting superiority, Ayn Rand's principle of reason bears little distinction from the malleable rules behind any other religious belief system -- ones that are always self-sustaining, that won't tolerate doubters and that tend to favor the predispositions of the leaders making the rules.

Huffington Post

Avoid unnecessarily verbose language.

WikiHow

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

Staff and students from both regularly intermingle at live-literature nights such as Verbose, Bad Language, The Other Room and many more.

The Guardian - Books

Therein Ruzindana succeeded where Oberschall floundered; Ruzindana utilized non verbose, non-technical language.

Huffington Post

But it still beats the heck out of the Rube Goldberg machines being contemplated in Congress.To some extent, the complexity of health reform is unavoidable: the health system is huge, legislative language employs verbose terms of art, and so on.

The Economist

One problem that we have recognized is that the the "standardization" of these contracts refers only to the verbose and specific legal language that is carefully calculated to protect the service provider against lawsuits.

University of California, Berkeley

Kotlin addresses some of the challenges programmers have faced when using Java, namely that the language is verbose, error-prone, and generally sluggish.

Forbes

As for Boito, Mr. Crutchfield finds his language purple and verbose.

The New York Times - Arts

COBOL was explicitly a business programming language with a very verbose English-like style.

Encyclopedia Britannica

For another, they are apt to slip into the same art doublespeak that they use in their writing (both are academics), a language so ardently theoretical and verbose, it makes my teeth ache.

The Guardian - Arts

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

In professional editing, highlight "verbose language" as a primary target for reduction to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of a text.

Common error

Avoid labeling technical or scientific descriptions as "verbose language" if the additional words are necessary for accuracy. Verbosity refers to words that add no extra meaning, whereas precision often requires more words to ensure no ambiguity remains.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "verbose language" functions as a noun phrase where the adjective "verbose" modifies the noun "language". According to Ludwig, it typically serves as a direct object in sentences advising on writing style or as a descriptive attribute in literary and technical reviews.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Academia

30%

Science

10%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Social Media

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "verbose language" is a standard and useful term for describing wordiness that hinders clear communication. Ludwig AI demonstrates that while exact matches of the full phrase may appear rare in certain datasets, the underlying concept is a cornerstone of professional and academic writing critiques. Sources like MIT and The Guardian use it to warn against pretentious or unnecessary complexity. When using this phrase, remember that it carries a inherently critical tone, suggesting that a writer has failed to be concise.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

excessive verbiage

Focuses more on the sheer volume of unnecessary words rather than the linguistic style.

wordy prose

Specifies written text that is longer than it needs to be.

prolix communication

Uses a more academic and formal term to describe the same concept of lengthiness.

redundant phrasing

Highlights the repetition of ideas rather than just the number of words used.

pleonastic style

A technical linguistic term referring to the use of more words than are necessary to convey meaning.

long-winded expression

A more idiomatic and slightly less formal way to describe a tedious or over-explained point.

circuitous phrasing

Implies that the language is indirect or 'beats around the bush' rather than just being long.

tautological wording

Specifically refers to saying the same thing twice in different words, a subset of verbosity.

florid speech

Suggests that the verbosity is due to overly decorative or flowery language choices.

lexical padding

Emphasizes the use of 'filler' words to artificially lengthen a sentence or document.

FAQs

How do I use "verbose language" in a sentence?

You can use it as an object or a subject complement, for example: "The legal contract was filled with verbose language that confused the average reader."

What can I say instead of "verbose language"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "excessive verbiage", "wordy prose" or "prolix style".

Is it better to say "verbose language" or "wordy writing"?

The term "verbose language" is more formal and better suited for academic or professional critique, while "wordy writing" is more common in casual or creative contexts.

Does "verbose language" always have a negative connotation?

Yes, in modern English usage, it almost always implies a lack of efficiency or clarity. To describe detailed and beautiful language without the negative implication, consider using "eloquent prose" instead.