Pentagonese

American

[pen-tuh-guh-neez, -nees] / ˌpɛn tə gəˈniz, -ˈnis /

noun

a style of language characterized by the use of euphemisms, technical jargon, acronyms, and circumlocutions, used especially by people working in the U.S. military establishment.

Etymology

Origin of Pentagonese

1950–55, Pentagon + -ese

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As a result, he added in typical Pentagonese, "NC3 has to inform JADC2 and JADC2 has to inform NC3."

From Salon • Jul. 15, 2023

The Special Operations Forces that Clarke has led, known as “SOF” in Pentagonese, have carried the heaviest load in America’s Middle East wars.

From Washington Post • Aug. 28, 2022

The bomb’s formal name is Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP, in Pentagonese.

From The New Yorker • Jul. 27, 2015

As secretary, Mr. Hagel, a 66-year-old decorated Vietnam combat veteran, would face huge decisions on budget and spending priorities; he would have to enlist deputies better versed in Pentagonese.

From New York Times • Jan. 13, 2013

Each Spartan battery will protect an elliptical area of the nation�in Pentagonese, a "footprint."

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023