purple prose

American  

noun

1. writing that calls attention to itself because of its obvious use of certain effects, as exaggerated sentiment or pathos, especially in an attempt to enlist or manipulate the reader's sympathies.

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purple prose Cultural  

1. Writing full of ornate or flowery language. Ornate, flowery speech can also be referred to as purple prose.

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Example Sentences

Lee, being Lee, believes otherwise, spurred on by his discovery of pages of purple prose that Dale hid inside his Jim Thompson crime pulps.

From Salon • Sep. 23, 2025

Generally speaking, purple prose came to mean writing that is laden with flowery descriptors and/or an oppressive structure with no real payoff to a reader.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 19, 2023

“He ‘would sketch out something that was purple prose, not poetry.

From New York Times • Jul. 18, 2023

They combined inspired cultural criticism and purple prose, set down in episodic, anecdotal manner and tempered with an ironic wit.

From Washington Post • Nov. 18, 2022

I know; you write a solid slab of purple prose, scissor it into a jig-saw puzzle, serve it with a dazzle dressing and call it the New Poetry.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, 1920-02-25 by Various