purple prose

American  

noun

1. writing that calls attention to itself because of its obvious use of certain effects, as exaggerated sentiment or pathos, especially in an attempt to enlist or manipulate the reader's sympathies.

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purple prose Cultural  

1. Writing full of ornate or flowery language. Ornate, flowery speech can also be referred to as purple prose.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

purple prose

“Think of them as a cross between a lentil and a velociraptor,” the National Society of Professional Surveyors, a group not normally known for purple prose, warns on its website.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

Lee, being Lee, believes otherwise, spurred on by his discovery of pages of purple prose that Dale hid inside his Jim Thompson crime pulps.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2025

Generally speaking, purple prose came to mean writing that is laden with flowery descriptors and/or an oppressive structure with no real payoff to a reader.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 19, 2023

We read a few brass panels extolling Edison’s singular genius in purple prose.

From New York Times ● Nov. 12, 2021

I know; you write a solid slab of purple prose, scissor it into a jig-saw puzzle, serve it with a dazzle dressing and call it the New Poetry.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, 1920-02-25 by Various

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