Johnsonese

[ jon-suh-neez, -nees ]

/ ˌdʒɒn səˈniz, -ˈnis /

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noun

a literary style characterized by rhetorically balanced, often pompous phraseology and an excessively Latinate vocabulary: so called from the style of writing practiced by Samuel Johnson.

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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?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of Johnsonese

First recorded in 1835–45; (Samuel) Johnson + -ese

Words nearby Johnsonese

John Q. Public, Johns, Johnson, Johnson, Andrew, Johnson City, Johnsonese, Johnson grass, Johnsonian, Johnson, James Weldon, Johnson, Lyndon Baines, Johnson, Samuel

How to use Johnsonese in a sentence

The stuffed buckram of Johnsonese had been succeeded by the mincing hifalutin of Mrs. Anne Radcliffe and her like.
Washington Irving|Henry W. Boynton
When he wrote for publication he did his sentences out of English into Johnsonese.
Macaulay's Life of Samuel Johnson|Thomas Babington Macaulay
But Johnson seems to have written Johnsonese from his cradle.
Hours in a Library|Leslie Stephen
What sort of an appearance would they present when furnished in a blend of Johnsonese and his own stheticism?
Twos and Threes|G. B. Stern

Sebastian, for his part, might have found some difficulty in translating into Johnsonese the twisted asceticism of Stuart Heron.
Twos and Threes|G. B. Stern