verbalism
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.
Origin of verbalism
1Words Nearby verbalism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use verbalism in a sentence
Bad verbalism is rhetoric, or the use of clich unconsciously, or a mere playing with phrases.
Instigations | Ezra PoundHere we are, then, in the realm of pure verbalism—in the ideal region of signs.
Decadence and Other Essays on the Culture of Ideas | Remy de GourmontWe may surround the subject with a vague and attractive idealistic verbalism, but we come back to this as a starting point.
Theism or Atheism | Chapman CohenThis 'science,' therefore, finally reduces to mere verbalism, distracted by inconsistent relapses into 'psychology.'
Pragmatism | D.L. MurrayBut there is good verbalism, distinct from lyricism or imagism, and in this Laforgue is a master.
Instigations | Ezra Pound
British Dictionary definitions for verbalism
/ (ˈvɜːbəˌlɪzəm) /
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
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