stilted
stiffly dignified or formal, as speech or literary style; pompous.
Architecture. (of an arch) resting on imposts treated in part as downward continuations of the arch.
Origin of stilted
1Other words for stilted
Other words from stilted
- un·stilt·ed, adjective
Words Nearby stilted
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use stilted in a sentence
The ubiquitous woman’s voice that could read your video’s text out loud in a slightly stilted, robotic cadence was suddenly replaced by one with an almost smirky, upbeat tone.
The voices of women in tech are still being erased | Mar Hicks | August 3, 2021 | MIT Technology ReviewIn place of the other characters’ stilted dialogue and comedic flat-liners, these two just hiss and roar and purr at each other monstrously.
Why Isn’t Sean Spicer Mauled by Zombies in Zack Snyder’s ‘Army of the Dead?’ | Melissa Leon | May 21, 2021 | The Daily BeastPelosi has had her own showdowns with Facebook after the company refused to remove a distorted video that was edited to make her speech appear stilted and slurred.
Facebook won’t take down an ad that Rep. Ilhan Omar’s office says could lead to harassment and death threats | Cat Zakrzewski, Tony Romm | May 20, 2021 | Washington PostFortunately, Nersessian is a sufficiently gifted writer that even where her interpretations struck me as unconvincing or stilted, the strength of her sentences, in combination with her obvious passion for the poetry, carried me through.
Two centuries after John Keats’s death, his famous odes are still sparking new discussions | Troy Jollimore | February 25, 2021 | Washington PostWith a stilted internet connection, this can become impossible.
The Learning Curve: Distance Learning Poses More Challenges for English-Learners | Will Huntsberry | October 8, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
It is glorious in its stilted awkwardness, and should be cherished.
Rosie Returns to 'The View': A Bold, Intelligent, and Sometimes Boring Premiere | Kevin Fallon | September 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThey end up being stilted and politicized, and folks are locked into the positions they already have.
Full Remarks by President Obama on Trayvon Martin | The Daily Beast | July 19, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe so-far stilted public conversation could use additional voices of expertise.
Complete with stilted dialogue and cringe-worthy background music, the whole thing would be laughable were it not so terrifying.
Outlandish Work Training Videos: Alabama’s Mass Shooting Film & More | Kevin Fallon | January 3, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTAs a debate, this was a sideshow, 90 minutes of stilted silliness, an intermission interrupting the real deal.
Joe Biden Beat Paul Ryan, But Veep Debate Was a Mediocre Snoozefest | Tunku Varadarajan | October 12, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThats an imitation of the stilted expressions of the Japs and Chinks, interrupted Chetwood.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage | Gertrude W. MorrisonThe Southern poetry of the civil war was even more rhetorical and stilted than that of the North.
Studies in Folk-Song and Popular Poetry | Alfred M. WilliamsThe style is stilted, and there is no attempt at delineation of character.
Mary Wollstonecraft | Elizabeth Robins PennellAvoid all stilted phrases and studied efforts at consolation.
The Complete Bachelor | Walter GermainThis tone of raillery and this stilted manner of speech promptly caught the fancy of the throng.
The Landloper | Holman Day
British Dictionary definitions for stilted
/ (ˈstɪltɪd) /
(of speech, writing, etc) formal, pompous, or bombastic
not flowing continuously or naturally: stilted conversation
architect (of an arch) having vertical piers between the impost and the springing
Derived forms of stilted
- stiltedly, adverb
- stiltedness, noun
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
Browse