euphuism
an affected style in imitation of that of Lyly, fashionable in England about the end of the 16th century, characterized chiefly by long series of antitheses and frequent similes relating to mythological natural history, and alliteration.: Compare Euphues.
any similar ornate style of writing or speaking; high-flown, periphrastic language.
Origin of euphuism
1Other words from euphuism
- eu·phu·ist, noun
- eu·phu·is·tic, eu·phu·is·ti·cal, adjective
- eu·phu·is·ti·cal·ly, adverb
Words that may be confused with euphuism
- euphemism, euphuism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use euphuism in a sentence
For all his genius, Ghiberti, that euphuist, did not influence those who came after him as Donatello did.
Florence and Northern Tuscany with Genoa | Edward HuttonHere is a specimen of his felicity, referring to the plays of old John Lily, the euphuist.
Sidney was certainly no Euphuist, but his style was as "Italianated" as Lyly's, though in a different way.
From Chaucer to Tennyson | Henry A. BeersBecause his phraseology was colorless, he has become a stainer of phrases, a sort of musical euphuist.
Musical Portraits | Paul RosenfeldHe was decidedly best in the euphuist romance, but he also practised the social satire pamphlet with no small success.
Elizabethan and Jacobean Pamphlets | Various
British Dictionary definitions for euphuism
/ (ˈjuːfjuːˌɪzəm) /
an artificial prose style of the Elizabethan period, marked by extreme use of antithesis, alliteration, and extended similes and allusions
any stylish affectation in speech or writing, esp a rhetorical device or expression
Origin of euphuism
1Derived forms of euphuism
- euphuist, noun
- euphuistic or euphuistical, adjective
- euphuistically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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