THE WORDCRAFT DEFINITION DICTIONARY
sententious
adjective
Expressing compact statements of supposed wisdom, often with excessive moralizing.
Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
A USEFUL DISTINCTION
Usage note
Often disapproving in modern usage: moralizing or pompously wise. It is not a general substitute for concise.
SEE IT IN USE
Examples in context
The sententious speech offered lofty maxims instead of practical help.
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.
Notice how the same meaning carries into different situations. Try explaining what the word contributes to each example.
MAKE IT YOURS
Write your own sentence
Use "sententious" in a situation you might actually discuss. Compare your meaning with the definition above.
Personal practice. Sentences are saved locally and are not automatically graded.
READ THIS WORD IN CONTEXT
Included in the learning path
The Tone of a Satirical SceneReading 2 / Open lessonAPPLY IT AND RETURN
Build a retention record for this word.
Use its lesson question and fresh-context checkpoint on separate days. Your browser can track the evidence for a retention milestone.
How the milestone worksAbout this entry
This entry is part of the vocabulary collection supplied by GlobalRPh. Definitions are concise study meanings. Examples combine original teaching sentences with selected passages adapted from the supplied study notes; their source is labeled beside each example. A word may have additional specialized or historical senses.
Adapted from supplied vocabulary notes. Example written for WordCraft.
Source study sections: 10.
Often disapproving in modern usage: moralizing or pompously wise. It is not a general substitute for concise.
Dictionary scope and sources