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CARD 3 OF 3

sententious

adjective

Reveal meaning and examples

Expressing compact statements of supposed wisdom, often with excessive moralizing.

The sententious speech offered lofty maxims instead of practical help.

Dictionary practice example.

Tessa added irreverence when a character used the committee's ceremonial stamp as a paperweight, treating a solemn symbol casually. Another character adopted a moralistic tone, judging every misplaced comma as evidence of a defective character. His sententious refrain, 'Order in ink is order in the soul,' compressed that moralizing into a polished little maxim.

From The Tone of a Satirical Scene.

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