Johnsonian

//d͡ʒɒnˈsəʊnɪ.ən// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An enthusiast of the works of Samuel Johnson.
  2. 2
    A supporter of Boris Johnson.
Adjective
  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to the English writer and lexicographer Samuel Johnson (1709–1784), or characteristic of his style.

    "With my idea of the rector derived from a picture in the dining-parlour, stiff and stately […]—it was strange to read these letters. They were full of eager, passionate ardour; short homely sentences, right fresh from the heart (very different from the grand Latinised, Johnsonian style of the printed sermon preached before some judge at assize time)."

  2. 2
    Of or pertaining to Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973), American politician and president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. US
  3. 3
    Of or pertaining to Boris Johnson (born 1964), English politician and prime minister of the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2022. UK

    "To stop no-deal, MPs must adopt some Johnsonian ruthlessness and be ready to bring down the prime minister and put someone else, probably Jeremy Corbyn, in his place."

Synonyms

All synonyms
affectedbedizenedbig-soundingborisianconvoluteddeclamatory

Example

More examples

"With my idea of the rector derived from a picture in the dining-parlour, stiff and stately […]—it was strange to read these letters. They were full of eager, passionate ardour; short homely sentences, right fresh from the heart (very different from the grand Latinised, Johnsonian style of the printed sermon preached before some judge at assize time)."

Etymology

From Johnson + -ian.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.