stilted

[ stil-tid ]

adjective

1. stiffly dignified or formal, as speech or literary style; pompous.

   Synonyms: constrained, stuffy, mannered, wooden

2. Architecture. (of an arch) resting on imposts treated in part as downward continuations of the arch.

stilted

/ ˈstɪltɪd /

adjective

1. (of speech, writing, etc) formal, pompous, or bombastic
2. not flowing continuously or naturally

   stilted conversation

3. architect (of an arch) having vertical piers between the impost and the springing

Derived Forms

• ˈstiltedness, noun
• ˈstiltedly, adverb

Other Words From

• un·stilted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stilted¹

First recorded in 1610–20; stilt + -ed ³

Example Sentences

The ubiquitous woman’s voice that could read your video’s text out loud in a slightly stilted, robotic cadence was suddenly replaced by one with an almost smirky, upbeat tone.

From MIT Technology Review

In place of the other characters’ stilted dialogue and comedic flat-liners, these two just hiss and roar and purr at each other monstrously.

From The Daily Beast

Pelosi has had her own showdowns with Facebook after the company refused to remove a distorted video that was edited to make her speech appear stilted and slurred.

From Washington Post

Fortunately, Nersessian is a sufficiently gifted writer that even where her interpretations struck me as unconvincing or stilted, the strength of her sentences, in combination with her obvious passion for the poetry, carried me through.

From Washington Post

With a stilted internet connection, this can become impossible.

From Voice of San Diego

It is glorious in its stilted awkwardness, and should be cherished.

From The Daily Beast

They end up being stilted and politicized, and folks are locked into the positions they already have.

From The Daily Beast

The so-far stilted public conversation could use additional voices of expertise.

From The Daily Beast

Complete with stilted dialogue and cringe-worthy background music, the whole thing would be laughable were it not so terrifying.

From The Daily Beast

As a debate, this was a sideshow, 90 minutes of stilted silliness, an intermission interrupting the real deal.

From The Daily Beast

Thats an imitation of the stilted expressions of the Japs and Chinks, interrupted Chetwood.

From Project Gutenberg

The Southern poetry of the civil war was even more rhetorical and stilted than that of the North.

From Project Gutenberg

The style is stilted, and there is no attempt at delineation of character.

From Project Gutenberg

Avoid all stilted phrases and studied efforts at consolation.

From Project Gutenberg

This tone of raillery and this stilted manner of speech promptly caught the fancy of the throng.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• formal
• labored
• overblown
• pompous
• sonorous