officialese

American  

[uh-fish-uh-leez, -lees] / əˌfɪʃ əˈliz, -ˈlis /

noun

1. a style of language used in some official statements, often criticized for its use of polysyllabic jargon and obscure, pretentiously wordy phrasing.

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officialese British  

/ əˌfɪʃəˈliːz /

noun

1. language characteristic of official documents, esp when verbose or pedantic

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Etymology

Origin of officialese

First recorded in 1880–85; official + -ese

Example Sentences

A new bill due to go through parliament will raise the official age at which people can stop work from 62 to 64.

From BBC • Jan. 18, 2023

There are no official age limits to compete at the Olympics, and 13-year-old skateboarders even competed at the Tokyo Games last summer.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 17, 2022

The official age limit is 18 but this is frequently relaxed, and several members are 17.

From The Guardian • Jan. 25, 2020

Under my dictatorship, we would permanently reset the official age of adulthood to 21, which, by most conventional markers of adulthood, is generous in its assumptions.

From Washington Post • Mar. 6, 2018

As an aunt, my official age was over forty.

From The Chauffeur and the Chaperon by Anderson, Karl