ten-dollar words
Pretentious verbal showboating
Ten-dollar words are fancy, elaborate, or obscure words used where simpler ones would do.
The term is mildly mocking—implying the speaker is showing off vocabulary rather than communicating clearly: He kept throwing around ten-dollar words like "perspicacious" when "sharp" would work fine.
The metaphor suggests overpaying for something ordinary.
- synonymsWords with shared meaning
- sesquipedalianGiven to lengthy vocabulary
- dictionaryAlphabetical word reference
- thesaurusSynonym and antonym compendium
- polysyllabicHaving many syllables
pedantry · grandiloquent · jargon · bombastic · purple prose · verbiage · showoff · prolix · pretentious · showing off · lexicography · erudite · highfalutin · inkhorn · ornate · elitist · ivory tower · vocabulary
ten-dollar wordsplain language
Easily understood communication
simple words · everyday words · basic vocabulary · plain English · plain speech
ten-dollar wordsplain talk
Simple, direct language
straight talk · direct speech · clear communication · blunt talk
dollar, dollars, word, words, worded, wording, wordless, wordy