Periphrastic
/ˌpɛ.ɹəˈfɹæ.stɪk/ adj
adj ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Expressed in more words than are necessary. not-comparable
"He wrote a periphrastic love letter to his wife to patch up their relationship."
- 2 Indirect in naming an entity; circumlocutory. not-comparable
"In writing, they deem it irreverent to express the Supreme Being [and] in conversation they generally use a periphrastic epithet, such as the All-Good."
- 3 Characterized by periphrasis. not-comparable
"“The daughter of the man” may be used as a periphrastic synonym for “the man’s daughter”."
Adjective
- 1 roundabout and unnecessarily wordy wordnet
Example
More examples"Students of Latin are racking their brains in trying to understand the mystery of the so-called passive periphrastic."
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek περιφραστικός (periphrastikós), from περίφρασις (períphrasis, “periphrasis”).