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definitions

verbalism

[vur-buh-liz-uh m]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR verbalism ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a verbal expression, as a word or phrase.
the way in which something is worded; choice of words; phrasing.
a phrase or sentence having little or no meaning.
a use of words considered as predominating over or obscuring ideas or reality; verbiage.

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RELATED WORDS

style, diction, language, locution, phrasing, phraseology, manner, words, phrase, parlance, terminology, mode, wordage

Nearby words

  1. verbal,
  2. verbal adjective,
  3. verbal auxiliary,
  4. verbal irony,
  5. verbal noun,
  6. verbalist,
  7. verbality,
  8. verbalize,
  9. verbally,
  10. verbascum

Origin of verbalism

First recorded in 1780–90; verbal + -ism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for verbalism

  • Verbalism demands a set form used with irreproachable skill.

    Instigations|Ezra Pound
British Dictionary definitions for verbalism

verbalism

noun

a verbal expression; phrase or word
an exaggerated emphasis on the importance of words by the uncritical acceptance of assertions in place of explanations, the use of rhetorical style, etc
a statement lacking real content, esp a cliché
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