What does euphuism mean?
Euphuism denotes an elaborately ornate style of English prose that flourished briefly in the late sixteenth century. Its name derives from Euphues, the hero of two immensely popular romances by John Lyly published in 1578 and 1580, whose writing epitomized the manner: strings of balanced clauses, heavy alliteration, far-fetched similes drawn from natural history, and constant classical allusion. For a decade or so euphuism was the height of literary fashion among courtiers and pamphleteers, before Shakespeare and his contemporaries mocked it out of style. Today the word has two uses. In literary history it refers specifically to Lyly's manner; more generally, it describes any affectedly elegant, pompous way of speaking or writing, and so usually carries a faintly mocking tone. Related words include euphuist, for a writer who affects this style, and euphuistic, its adjective.
nounAn ornate, highly mannered style of English prose characterized by elaborate alliteration, balanced antitheses, and classical allusion, associated especially with John Lyly's novels Euphues (1578) and Euphues and His England (1580). More broadly, any affectedly elegant or bombastic manner of writing or speaking.
- The ornate, alliterative, heavily antithetical prose style fashionable in late sixteenth-century England, exemplified by John Lyly's Euphues.
- Any affected, excessively elegant, or bombastic style of speech or writing.
"His letters lapsed into a florid euphuism that made even the simplest request sound like a royal proclamation."
"Shakespeare mocked the fashion for euphuism in characters like Armado in Love's Labour's Lost."
"Her acceptance speech drifted into pure euphuism, all balance and alliteration and not one plain sentence."
Usually uncountable when referring to the style as a whole; the plural refers to individual instances of ornate phrasing.
"The essay is studded with little euphuisms that slow its argument to a crawl."
One man's novel was so flamboyantly over-the-top that it named a whole style of writing after its hero — Euphues — and gave English the word 'euphuism.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of euphuism
The word comes from Euphues, the name of the protagonist of John Lyly's prose romances Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit (1578) and Euphues and His England (1580). The name itself was coined by Lyly from Greek roots meaning roughly 'well-endowed' (in wit or natural gifts), sharing the Greek prefix eu- ('good' or 'well') seen in words such as euphemism, euphoria, and eulogy. By extension, 'euphuism' came to denote both Lyly's distinctive ornate prose style and, later, any similarly mannered diction; the adjective euphuistic followed shortly after.
Related word forms
How euphuism is actually used
A literary-historical term used mainly in academic and critical contexts; outside discussion of Elizabethan literature it carries a mildly derogatory connotation of overwrought, self-conscious elegance.
Easily confused with euphuism
A euphemism is a mild or indirect word substituted for a harsh one, whereas euphuism is an ornate, affected literary prose style.