What does prolixness mean?
Prolixness is the quality of saying or writing too much, especially in a repetitive, cumbersome, or tiresome way. A prolix speaker may have important ideas but express them through repeated qualifications, needless examples, or elaborate qualifications that obscure the main point. The word is more common in formal criticism than in everyday conversation, where one might simply describe someone or something as wordy, rambling, or excessively long. It is especially useful when brevity alone would not capture the problem: prolixness concerns not merely length, but the use of more language than the subject or purpose warrants. This makes it a precise term for diagnosing unnecessarily verbose speech and writing, although “prolix” is often the more natural choice in direct description.
nounThe quality of being prolix, especially of being excessively or tiresomely wordy.
- The quality of being excessively lengthy or wordy in speech or writing.
"The speaker's brilliance was obscured by the sheer prolixness of the presentation."
"Despite the prolixness of the report, its central argument was clear."
"His apologies were so prolix that they seemed to create the problem they intended to solve."
A rare plural; the word is normally used in the singular.
"The editor complained about the separate prolixnesses of the introduction and conclusion."
Prolixness is what happens when a speaker says everything twice — only with fewer elegant synonyms.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does prolixness come from?
Prolixness comes through French from Latin prolixitas, a noun meaning length or extension derived from prolixus, “extended” or “prolonged.” The Latin adjective in turn drew on the verb pro- “forward” and lixus, “bound” or “tied,” reflecting the original sense of something stretched out. The modern meaning developed through the adjective prolix, “excessively long or wordy,” and the suffix -ness.
How prolixness is actually used
A formal or literary term, used especially in criticism of writing, speeches, conversations, and explanations. It conveys that excessive length is objectionable rather than merely present.
Easily confused with prolixness
Prolific means producing a large amount, whereas prolix means using more words than necessary.