What does prolix mean?
Prolix describes writing, speech, or a style that is excessively long and wordy, often because it repeats ideas, uses unnecessarily complicated phrasing, or includes material that could be omitted. The word has a formal, literary tone and generally carries a negative connotation: it implies not merely that something is lengthy, but that its length is excessive or tiresome. A prolix speech may lose its audience in repeated qualifications; a prolix novel may make a simple story unnecessarily difficult to follow. In contrast to words such as lengthy, which can describe duration without criticism, prolix specifically suggests an undesirable surplus of words. It is useful when the problem is not the subject's complexity but the failure to communicate efficiently. The related noun prolixity and adverb prolixly preserve the word's established focus on excessive verbal expansion.
adjectiveExcessively or tediously wordy; longer than is necessary, often to the point of being difficult to follow.
- Excessively lengthy or wordy, especially in a way that seems tedious or unnecessarily complicated.
"The lecture was prolix, repeating the same argument in several different ways."
"The author's prolix style makes an important point take several paragraphs to understand."
"Rather than give a prolix explanation, she summarized the agreement in a single sentence."
Prolix comes from Latin prolīxus, meaning “extended” or “lengthy”—a reminder that the word describes language that has outgrown its welcome.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does prolix come from?
The word comes from Latin prolīxus, meaning “extended,” “lengthy,” or “prolonged.” English borrowed the adjective in the early modern period and gradually used it for writing and speech that were excessively verbose. The noun prolixity and adverb prolixly were formed within English from the same Latin-derived word.
Related word forms
How prolix is actually used
Prolix is a formal, somewhat literary adjective. It is more critical than simply “long”: it suggests that something is unnecessarily verbose and may be tedious to read or hear.