Prolix
Adjective
- Unduly prolonged or drawn out, too long.
- Marked by or using an excess of words.
Example Sentences
“Reviewers complained that the novel’s beautiful premise got buried under prolix descriptions of every meal the characters ate.”
“That professor’s lectures are so prolix that a 50-minute class feels like three hours.”
“My uncle’s prolix wedding toast had everyone secretly checking their phones under the table.”
Word Origin
Latin, 15th century
Why this word?
This is a snappy six-letter adjective that can be used to describe anything that’s verbose or protracted. It can describe an excess of words, but it can also be applied to an overly long, drawn-out situation. That meeting that could have been an email? It was prolix. The word comes from the Latin “prolixus,” meaning “extended.” “Prolix” also has an archaic meaning of “long or extensive in measurement,” but the current usage applies more to words.
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