phrasemonger

C2+ Topic:Register & Style
US /ˈfreɪzˌmʌŋɡɚ/ UK /ˈfreɪzˌmʌŋɡə/
noun verb Freq #746945

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    a person who habitually uses showy, overelaborate, or empty phrases

    The translator was a careful stylist, not a phrasemonger hiding weak ideas behind grand language.

  2. 2
    verb

    to speak or write in showy, overelaborate, or empty phrases

    Instead of answering the objection directly, the speaker began to phrasemonger.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a person who habitually... word-spinnerverbalistwindbag
2 verb · to speak or write in showy,... grandiloquizedeclaim
Opposites
plain speaker
Word family
Related forms phrasegrandiloquencerhetoricverbiage

Etymology

A compound of phrase + monger. Monger once neutrally meant a dealer or trader, but in compounds such as this it often became disparaging, suggesting someone who produces or promotes an excessive or disreputable kind of thing.

Topics

markdown

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