stilted

[ stil-tid ]

/ ˈstɪl tɪd /

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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.

OTHER WORDS FOR stilted

1 wooden, mannered, stuffy, constrained.

See synonyms for stilted on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of stilted

First recorded in 1610–20; stilt + -ed³

OTHER WORDS FROM stilted

un·stilt·ed, adjective

Words nearby stilted

Still waters run deep, still wine, stilly, stilt, stilt bug, stilted, Stilton, stilt root, Stilwell, stilyaga, stim

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 Review
In 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 Beast
Pelosi 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 Post
Fortunately, 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 Post

With 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|DAILY BEAST
They 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|DAILY BEAST
The so-far stilted public conversation could use additional voices of expertise.
In Defense of a Good Guy With a Gun|Brian Castner|April 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
As 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|DAILY BEAST
Thats an imitation of the stilted expressions of the Japs and Chinks, interrupted Chetwood.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison
The 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. Williams
The style is stilted, and there is no attempt at delineation of character.
Mary Wollstonecraft|Elizabeth Robins Pennell
Avoid all stilted phrases and studied efforts at consolation.
The Complete Bachelor|Walter Germain
This 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

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

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

stilted

OTHER WORDS FOR stilted

Origin of stilted

OTHER WORDS FROM stilted

Words nearby stilted

Words related to stilted

How to use stilted in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stilted

Derived forms of stilted