This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
holophrastic
[ hol-uh-fras-tik, hoh-luh- ]
/ ˌhɒl əˈfræs tɪk, ˌhoʊ lə- /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adjective
using or consisting of a single word that functions as a phrase or sentence.
characterized by holophrasis; polysynthetic: a holophrastic language.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of holophrastic
Words nearby holophrastic
Holon, Holophane, holophote, holophrase, holophrasis, holophrastic, holophyte, holophytic, holoplankton, holopneustic, holosericeous
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use holophrastic in a sentence
Holophrastic, hol-o-fras′tik, adj. bearing the force of a whole phrase, expressive of a sentence or an idea.
British Dictionary definitions for holophrastic
holophrastic
/ (ˌhɒləˈfræstɪk) /
adjective
denoting the stage in a child's acquisition of syntax when most utterances are single words
(of languages) tending to express in one word what would be expressed in several words in other languages; polysynthetic
Word Origin for holophrastic
C19: from holo- + Greek phrastikos expressive, from phrazein to express
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