euphuism Hear it!

euphuism Definition

eu·phu·ism (yo̵̅o̅fyo̵̅o̅ iz′əm)

noun

  1. the artificial, affected, high-flown style of speaking or writing used by John Lyly and his imitators, characterized by alliteration, balanced sentences, far-fetched figures of speech, etc.
  2. any artificial, high-flown style of speech or writing
  3. an instance of this

Etymology: < Euphues, fictitious character in two prose romances by John Lyly < Gr euphyēs, shapely, graceful < eu- (see eu-) + phyē, growth < phyein, to grow (see bondage) + -ism

euphuism Related Forms

eu·phu·ist noun

euphuism Synonyms

euphuism

n.

inflation, grandiloquence, floridness, ornateness of style, delicacy, purism, Gongorism, affected elegance of language, pomposity, bombast, fustian, rhetoric; see also wordiness.

Browse dictionary entries near euphuism

  1. Euphrosyne
  2. Euphrates
  3. euphrasy
  4. euphotic
  5. euphoriant
  6. euphoria
  7. euphorbia
  8. euphony
  9. euphonium
  10. euphonious
  1. euphuistic
  2. euplastic
  3. euploid
  4. eupnea
  5. Eur
  6. Eurasia
  7. Eurasian
  8. Euratom
  9. eureka
  10. Eurex