verbalist

American  

[vur-buh-list] / ˈvɜr bə lɪst /

noun

1. a person skilled in the use of words.

2. a person who is more concerned with words than with ideas or reality.

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verbalist British  

/ ˈvɜːbəlɪst /

noun

1. a person who deals with words alone, rather than facts, ideas, feeling, etc

2. a person skilled in the use of words

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Other Word Forms

• verbalistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of verbalist

First recorded in 1600–10; verbal + -ist

Example Sentences

For a more extended catalogue of social and grammatical sins, the reader is referred to that excellent book The Verbalist, by Alfred Ayres, and the clever little brochure Don't.

From Project Gutenberg

Uniform with "The Ortho�pist" and "The Verbalist." 18mo, cloth.

From Project Gutenberg

Carefully revised and annotated by Alfred Ayres, Author of "The Ortho�pist," "The Verbalist," etc.

From Project Gutenberg

The Verbalist: A Manual devoted to Brief Discussions of the Right and the Wrong Use of Words, and to some other Matters of Interest to those who would Speak and Write with Propriety, including a Treatise on Punctuation.

From Project Gutenberg

Later, he read "The Dean's English," very popular at one time, Richard Grant White's "Words and Their Uses," and perhaps a little book called "The Verbalist."

From Project Gutenberg