diplomatese
Vague official language
Diplomatese is the formal, often evasive language characteristic of diplomats and official communications.
It favors vague phrases, hedged statements, and euphemisms that avoid direct confrontation: The statement was pure diplomatese—lots of words about "productive dialogue" but no real commitments.
The term usually carries a note of criticism, suggesting language designed to obscure rather than clarify.
Indirect, wordy expression
- hedgingNoncommittal maneuvering
- ambiguityOpenness to multiple interpretations
- vaguenessAbsence of precision
- equivocationAmbiguous language avoiding commitment
obfuscation · noncommittal · euphemism · understatement · coded · nuanced · qualified · cautious
Wordy governmental language
- officialesePompous administrative writing
- legaleseAttorneys' technical jargon
- gobbledygookPretentious unintelligible language
- doublespeakDeliberately misleading language
boilerplate · communiqué · aide-mémoire · dossier · memorandum · protocol · verbatim · terminology
Prescribed conduct rules
- etiquetteRules of polite conduct
- decorumFitting social conduct
- proprietyCorrectness of conduct
- stiffNot easily bent
stilted · ceremonial · courtly · polished · restrained · dignified · composed · reserved
Official governmental announcement
- summitPeak or diplomatic gathering
- bilateralInvolving two parties
- multilateralInvolving multiple parties
- frameworkUnderlying support system
accord · understanding · constructive · frank · candid · productive · substantive · exploratory
circumlocution
Indirect, wordy expression
- hedgingNoncommittal maneuvering
- ambiguityOpenness to multiple interpretations
- vaguenessAbsence of precision
equivocation · obfuscation · noncommittal · euphemism · understatement · coded · nuanced · qualified · cautious · measured
bureaucratese
Wordy governmental language
- officialesePompous administrative writing
- legaleseAttorneys' technical jargon
- gobbledygookPretentious unintelligible language
doublespeak · boilerplate · communiqué · aide-mémoire · dossier · memorandum · protocol · verbatim · terminology · phraseology
protocol
Prescribed conduct rules
stiff · stilted · ceremonial · courtly · polished · restrained · dignified · composed · reserved · impersonal
communiqué
Official governmental announcement
- summitPeak or diplomatic gathering
- bilateralInvolving two parties
- multilateralInvolving multiple parties
framework · accord · understanding · constructive · frank · candid · productive · substantive · exploratory · preliminary
diplomatesestraight talk
Honest, direct communication
bluntness · candor · frankness · plain English · directness
diplomateseplain language
Easily understood communication
plain English · vernacular · everyday speech · common parlance · colloquial language
diplomatesefighting words
Inflammatory language inviting violence
invective · diatribe · tirade · vituperation · bombast