federalese

[ fed-er-uh-leez, -lees ]

noun(often initial capital letter)

awkward, evasive, or pretentious prose said to characterize the publications and correspondence of U.S. federal bureaus.

Origin of federalese

¹

First recorded in 1940–45; federal + -ese

Words Nearby federalese

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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