English Meaning & Definitions
Given to pompous, self-righteous moralizing or lecturing in an affectedly wise manner.
- “The politician's speech was dismissed as sententious, offering plenty of high-sounding moral platitudes but no actionable solutions.”
- “Annoyed by her colleague's sententious lectures on work ethic, Clara quietly excused herself from the breakroom.”
Abounding in or expressed through concise, pithy maxims or aphorisms.
- “Ancient proverbs often rely on a sententious style to convey profound truths in very few words.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “sententious”.
Derived from Middle English, via Old French sentencieux and Latin sententiosus, from sententia ('thought, opinion, or maxim'). Originally used positively to describe speech that was pithy and packed with wisdom, the word gradually acquired a negative connotation in Modern English, shifting to describe speech or individuals given to self-important, preachy, or patronizing moralizing.
Think of someone speaking in solemn 'sentences' full of unwanted moral advice—that person is being sententious.
Frequently Asked Questions About “sententious”
1. What is the meaning of “sententious” in English?
In English, sententious (adjective) is defined as: “Given to pompous, self-righteous moralizing or lecturing in an affectedly wise manner.”.
2. How do you use “sententious” in a sentence?
“The politician's speech was dismissed as sententious, offering plenty of high-sounding moral platitudes but no actionable solutions.”
3. What are English synonyms of “sententious”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “sententious”?
Derived from Middle English, via Old French sentencieux and Latin sententiosus, from sententia ('thought, opinion, or maxim'). Originally used positively to describe speech that was pithy and packed with wisdom, the word gradually acquired a negative connotation in Modern English, shifting to describe speech or individuals given to self-important, preachy, or patronizing moralizing.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.