Verbose
adjective /vɜːˈbəʊs/ — Using far more words than the thought requires — talking around the point.
Definition
Using or containing more words than are necessary; expressed at excessive length; given to prolonged, wordy speech or writing.
Beyond the definition
Verbosity is the enemy of clarity — and sometimes the friend of concealment. Politicians speak verbosely to avoid saying anything. Writers do it from insecurity. The verbose sentence has often lost track of its own intention.
Origin & history
From Latin verbosus — full of words (from verbum: word). Literally: word-full. Saturated with language beyond what the meaning requires.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
His emails were verbose — three paragraphs where one sentence would do, the main point buried in the middle.
The verbose report confused everyone in the room, including, she suspected, the person who wrote it.
Cutting verbose writing is satisfying — like trimming a garden, the underlying shape emerges.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Verbose” when the meaning fits your context: Using or containing more words than are necessary; expressed at excessive length; given to prolonged, wordy speech or writing.
Synonyms
wordy, prolix, long-winded, rambling, loquacious, garrulous
Antonyms
Related words
Verbose vs prolix
Verbose describes the use of more words than are necessary. Prolix emphasizes a tedious, drawn-out length that becomes exhausting to read or hear.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Illustrative example
Swedish Buffet Table Selection
A table is filled with a vast, overflowing selection of varied dishes, plates, and bowls, all arranged in a dense, crowded, and busy layout.
Verbose means using more words than are necessary. The buffet table, with its overwhelming and unnecessary variety, serves as a visual analogy for being verbose, where the sheer volume of elements goes beyond what is needed or helpful, resulting in a crowded, excessive display that could have been far simpler.
Image credit: by bigmick · CC BY-SA 2.0 (license)
Resized and converted to WebP; displayed with a fitted crop.
Questions about this word
What does "Verbose" mean?
Verbose is adjective meaning: Using far more words than the thought requires — talking around the point.. Using or containing more words than are necessary; expressed at excessive length; given to prolonged, wordy speech or writing.
Where does the word "Verbose" come from?
From Latin verbosus — full of words (from verbum: word). Literally: word-full. Saturated with language beyond what the meaning requires.