DEFINITIONS
The
2019 WORD
OF THE YEAR is...

stilted

[ stil-tid ]
/ ˈstɪl tɪd /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR stilted ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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.

Words related to stilted

labored, pompous, overblown, sonorous, formal, affected, angular, aureate, bombastic, decorous, egotistic, flowery, forced, genteel, grandiloquent, high-flown, inflated, magniloquent, mincing, pedantic

Words nearby stilted

stillwater, stilly, stilt, stilt bug, stilt root, stilted, stilton, stilwell, stilyaga, stim, stime

Origin of stilted

First recorded in 1610–20; stilt + -ed3

OTHER WORDS FROM stilted

un·stilt·ed, adjective

Definition for stilted (2 of 2)

stilt
[ stilt ]
/ stɪlt /

noun

one of two poles, each with a support for the foot at some distance above the bottom end, enabling the wearer to walk with his or her feet above the ground.
one of several posts supporting a structure built above the surface of land or water.
Ceramics. a three-armed support for an object being fired.
any of several white-and-black wading birds, especially Cladorhynchus leucocephalus and Himantopus himantopus, having long, bright pink legs and a long, slender black bill.
British Dialect.
  1. a plow handle.
  2. a crutch.

verb (used with object)

to raise on or as if on stilts.

Origin of stilt

1275–1325; Middle English stilte; cognate with Low German stilte pole, German Stelze

OTHER WORDS FROM stilt

stilt·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for stilted

British Dictionary definitions for stilted (1 of 2)

stilted
/ (ˈstɪltɪd) /

adjective

(of speech, writing, etc) formal, pompous, or bombastic
not flowing continuously or naturallystilted conversation
architect (of an arch) having vertical piers between the impost and the springing

Derived forms of stilted

stiltedly, adverbstiltedness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for stilted (2 of 2)

stilt
/ (stɪlt) /

noun

either of a pair of two long poles with footrests on which a person stands and walks, as used by circus clowns
a long post or column that is used with others to support a building above ground level
any of several shore birds of the genera Himantopus and Cladorhynchus, similar to the avocets but having a straight bill

verb

(tr) to raise or place on or as if on stilts

Word Origin for stilt

C14 (in the sense: crutch, handle of a plough): related to Low German stilte pole, Norwegian stilta
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