Dictionaryese

Quick meaning: Dictionaryese is a noun meaning (informal) The style of language used in dictionary definitions, characterized by dry, straightforward, and occasionally awkward phrasing.

Meaning

(informal) The style of language used in dictionary definitions, characterized by dry, straightforward, and occasionally awkward phrasing.

Example Sentences

If I were defining "hella" without using substitutability, I would probably come up with something long-winded and full of dictionaryese, like "to an excessive degree."

'Cause to die' is immediately recognizable as dictionaryese, which is to say that dictionaries do not, in general, honor the condition that definitions must be couched in the syntax of surface English.

runs down to "Sexual intercourse that is not the union of the genital organs of a man and a woman", but in dictionaryese that /could/ mean one specific sexual intercourse that they're choosing not to describe.

For a concise dictionary the extent of the German vocabulary dealt with is commendable and fairly searching spot-checks in many fields have shown no serious gaps, but an English reviewer must be forgiven for commenting on the ‘dictionaryese’ of some of the English renderings.

Word Forms

• dictionarese

Synonyms for dictionaryese

Depending on context, synonyms include lexicographese.

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