What Is Verbosity? | Definition & Examples
Verbosity is the quality of being excessively wordy in writing or speech. Verbose sentences can always be made shorter and simpler.
A concise version of this sentence would be, “I’m late because I got a flat tire.”
“Verbosity” comes from the Latin word verbosus, which means wordy.
What is verbosity?
If something is verbose, it uses more words than needed to get a point across. Verbosity is the state of being verbose. Often, the extra words in a verbose sentence are unnecessary.
Verbosity is a quality that many writers try to avoid, as several style guides warn against excessive wordiness. In writing, verbosity can contribute to confusion on the part of the reader, with the meaning of a sentence becoming muddled by so many words.
Excessive verbosity can also be a negative trait in speech, as it can delay important information being passed from one person to another. It can also be a cause of distraction for the listener.
However, some writers are intentionally verbose. This is a stylistic choice that can be used to build characterization or break out of conventional writing practices. Intentional verbosity is more common in creative writing than, say, scientific or other academic writing.
Verbosity examples
Verbosity is often used as a character trait in literature and film.
“I’m a very light eater. I really am. That’s why I’m so damn skinny. I was supposed to be on this diet where you eat a lot of starches and crap, to gain weight and all, but I didn’t ever do it. When I’m out somewhere, I generally just eat a Swiss cheese sandwich and a malted milk. It isn’t much, but you get quite a lot of vitamins in the malted milk.”
A more concise way of saying this would be, “I’m a light eater, which is why I’m so skinny.” However, Holden is a jaded teenage boy who thinks about himself way too much. His wordiness shows his personality.
“Hey, you missed it. We rode down some really sharp hills. And then, we were on what looked like a frozen lake. But I know it was just an optical illusion caused by moonlight atmosphere. He said the train was actually on the ice, but I said it was impossible because you can’t put a train track …”
A simpler way of saying this would be, “We rode down some big hills, and then it looked like we were driving on a frozen lake.”
Frequently asked questions about verbosity
- How do you use verbosity in a sentence?
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An example of the word “verbosity” being used in a sentence is:
“Her verbosity was off-putting to her classmates, who just wanted to finish their work in silence.”
- What is an antonym for verbosity?
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A few antonyms and near-antonyms of verbosity are:
- Brevity
- Conciseness
- Succinctness
- Terseness
