Dictionary.com

sententious

[ sen-ten-shuhs ]
/ sɛnˈtɛn ʃəs /
See synonyms for sententious on Thesaurus.com

adjective

abounding in pithy aphorisms or maxims: a sententious book.
given to excessive moralizing; self-righteous.
given to or using pithy sayings or maxims: a sententious poet.
of the nature of a maxim; pithy.

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Origin of sententious

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin sententiōsus “meaningful, pithy.” See sentence, -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM sententious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to sententious

concise, pithy, pointed, aphoristic, bombastic, fustian, oratorical, ornate, pretentious, self-righteous, showy, turgid, abounding, brief, epigrammatic, laconic, meaningful, pompous, short, terse

Example sentences from the Web for sententious

British Dictionary definitions for sententious

sententious
/ (sɛnˈtɛnʃəs) /

adjective

characterized by or full of aphorisms, terse pithy sayings, or axioms
constantly using aphorisms, etc
tending to indulge in pompous moralizing

Derived forms of sententious

sententiously, adverbsententiousness, noun

Word Origin for sententious

C15: from Latin sententiōsus full of meaning, from sententia; see sentence
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