Discussion on question by David K: Word for hard-to-understand writing style

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00:28

Q: Word for hard-to-understand writing style

I am looking for a word that could be used to describe a writing style that uses lots of uncommon words, making the writing difficult to understand to the everyday reader. It's as if they make an effort to use words from their word-a-day calendar. Andrew's _______ writing style used so many w...

Daniel R Hicks

"Cryptic", perhaps?

David K

I added that I'm open to hyphenated words, or basically anything that would fit in an <adjective> place in a sentence. Feel free to edit tags as necessary.

FumbleFingers

If you want a word that doesn't fit this definition itself, I guess that rules out sesquipedalian (often used facetiously/ironically). Perhaps waffly.

Dan

You could use superfluous or convoluted

Rob_Ster

Turgid? Opaque? Verbose? Overstuffed? Grandiloquent? Dense?

David K

00:28

@Rob_Ster I had considered verbose, but that's more about using many words rather than uncommon words. Grandiloquent could definitely be a possibility.

rhetorician

I suggest you start with the word "incomprehensible" and go to wordhippo.com to see what synonyms the elephant gives you for that word. Don

David K

@rhetorician Thanks! That got me "lexiphanic", which is pretty much exactly what I want to say, though unfortunately it describes itself as well.

Lee Leon

Since the writing style effectively puts the meaning out of reach, I would suggest 'inaccessible'.

Rob_Ster

Or rodomontade?

Edwin Ashworth

Note that the duplicate title is more accurately 'English word that means the use of out of place uncommon words'.

Chris Sunami

00:29

@EdwinAshworth Although this is ALMOST a duplicate, the poster additionally specifies a common, easily understood English word, and the accepted answer on the putative duplicate is neither, nor are most of the the other answers provided there. Voting to reopen.

Both the answers I would have suggested are already here. Obscure is probably the closest in meaning to what you are seeking, but I think "ornate" is an even better choice because it meets your goal of a word that is not intrinsically pejorative.

Mari-Lou A

This question is older than chestnuts. V. Closely Related: Derogatory term for inconcise writing and What do you call someone who (over)uses archaic terms and expressions while writing?

and Does “abstruse” carry a positive or negative connotation? and Word for not obscure but not mainstream

Edwin Ashworth

@Mari-Lou A I voted to close as a duplicate, and I now apparently have the super-power of closure on SWRs, but some demigod re-opened. Perhaps you could re-close.

@Mari-Lou A My comment 'Possible duplicate of 'English word that means the use of out of place uncommon words' has been deleted.

Mari-Lou A

@EdwinAshworth I think the three linked questions covers pretty much everything.

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