Periphrase
//ˈpɛɹi.fɹeɪz// noun, verb
noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The use of more words than are necessary to express the idea; a roundabout, or indirect, way of speaking; circumlocution. countable, rhetoric, uncountable
"1821, Thomas De Quincey, John Paul Frederick Richter (published in London Magazine To describe all those on whom the fates of Troy hinged , by enigmatic periphrases"
Verb
- 1 To express by periphrase or circumlocution. transitive
- 2 To use circumlocution. intransitive
Example
More examples"1821, Thomas De Quincey, John Paul Frederick Richter (published in London Magazine To describe all those on whom the fates of Troy hinged , by enigmatic periphrases"
Etymology
From Latin periphrasis from Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis), from περιφράζομαι (periphrázomai, “I consider all sides of an issue”), from περί (perí, “around”) + φράζω (phrázō, “I show, point out”). See phrase.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.