Thesaurus-heavy

Describing writing or speech that excessively uses a thesaurus to replace common words with more obscure or elaborate synonyms, often resulting in a strained, unnatural, or pretentious style. This can hinder clarity, readability, and audience engagement, as the focus shifts from the message to the ostentatious vocabulary. The goal is to make a piece easier to read and understand, by using language in a manner that the user or reader knows and understands without confusion.

Thesaurus-heavy meaning with examples

• The novel's prose was undeniably thesaurus-heavy, filled with an overabundance of sesquipedalian verbiage that obfuscated the plot. The author's attempt to sound erudite fell flat, as the convoluted sentences made it difficult to comprehend the narrative. Readers were left feeling bewildered rather than impressed by the barrage of obscure synonyms.
• Critics often deride academic papers for their thesaurus-heavy tendency. Writers aiming for intellectual gravitas sometimes substitute simplicity with grandiloquence, thereby creating a dense and opaque style. This practice diminishes clarity and can alienate the very audience the authors are striving to engage.
• Her initial draft was a thesaurus-heavy cacophony of verbose terms, but her editor wisely advised her to trim the fat. After editing, the text became much more accessible and comprehensible, shedding the unnecessary baggage of recondite synonyms.
• The job application was a thesaurus-heavy mess, filled with elaborate synonyms that made him seem less genuine and more like he was trying too hard. It was obvious the applicant wanted to convey superior intelligence, but the hiring manager just wanted to know if he could do the job.