Atticism
Classical Greek refinement
Atticism is a movement in ancient rhetoric that championed the pure, elegant Greek of classical Athens over the ornate "Asiatic" style that developed later.
Adherents sought to imitate Attic writers like Lysias and Demosthenes.
The term also describes the cultural and linguistic characteristics of ancient Attica, the region surrounding Athens. (Lowercase atticism is any expression showing these qualities.)
Shortness of expression
- succinctnessQuality of being brief
- pithinessTerse, meaningful expression
- tersenessExtreme brevity of expression
- laconismExtreme verbal economy
economy · compression · compactness · precision · concision · neatness · directness · aphorism
Persuasive verbal grace
- oratoryFormal eloquent discourse
- articulacyAbility to speak clearly
- fluencySmooth linguistic command
- expressivenessAbility to convey emotion
diction · discourse · articulation · persuasion · locution · enunciation · perspicuity · Ciceronian
Elegance of manner
- sophisticationCultured elegance and complexity
- graceEffortless beauty of motion
- polishSmooth by rubbing
- cultivationFostering growth through care
discernment · finesse · taste · purity · clarity · simplicity · restraint · classicism
brevity
Shortness of expression
- succinctnessQuality of being brief
- pithinessTerse, meaningful expression
- tersenessExtreme brevity of expression
laconism · economy · compression · compactness · precision · concision · neatness · directness · aphorism · epigrammatic
eloquence
Persuasive verbal grace
- oratoryFormal eloquent discourse
- articulacyAbility to speak clearly
- fluencySmooth linguistic command
expressiveness · diction · discourse · articulation · persuasion · locution · enunciation · perspicuity · Ciceronian · Demosthenes
refinement
Elegance of manner
- sophisticationCultured elegance and complexity
- graceEffortless beauty of motion
- polishSmooth by rubbing
cultivation · discernment · finesse · taste · purity · clarity · simplicity · restraint · classicism · aesthetics
wordplay
Verbal wit techniques
cleverness · witticism · epigram · repartee · banter · quip · drollery · urbanity · raillery · innuendo
- rhetoricrhetoric, persuasion, oratory, argumentation, debate
- IsocratesHelen, Philip
Atticismbombast
Pretentious hollow language
grandiloquence · purple prose · turgidity · magniloquence · verbosity
Atticismbaroque
Excessively ornate or elaborate
rococo · flamboyance · extravagance · ostentation · luxuriance
Atticismbarbarism
Savage, uncivilized behavior
solecism · vulgarism · colloquialism · provincialism · koine