Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "polysyllabic" []

  • Having more than two and usually more than three syllables. (adjective)
  • Characterized by words having more than three syllables. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "polysyllabic" in a sentence
  • "And both these words, as well as individual, which must be treated more at length in the next section, are illustrations of a tendency that we have called polysyllabic humour and discussed in the Chapter Airs and Graces."
  • "In recent years, the pharmaceutical industry has been both clever and deceptive in giving this kind of polysyllabic, clinical name to even mild, transient versions of common ailments as a way of persuading both doctors and patients that their new, potent drugs are essential to our well-being."
  • "Slither: I could start off by getting all academic on you and talking about the conscious role of the metaphor of sexual violation in horror films, or I could get all polysyllabic on you and use words like "polysyllabic," and while I can't promise I won't commit those sins later on in this review, dear reader, I will say at the start that"
Words like "polysyllabic"