verbiage

/ˈvʌrbiɪdʒ/

/ˈvʌbiɪdʒ/

Verbiage is what it sounds like — a lot of words: verbs, nouns, adjectives and all the other parts of speech. Usually, verbiage means a few too many words — like the excessive verbiage in a legal document.

Verbiage comes from the 18th-century French verbier, meaning "to chatter." Verbiage can mean just the words being used to communicate, or a bunch of empty words used to obscure communication. Someone long-winded might receive a sarcastic "compliment" about his verbiage, while another speaker might receive genuine applause for intelligent verbiage, or choice of words.

Definitions of verbiage

1. noun

   overabundance of words
   synonyms: verbalism

   type of:

   verboseness, verbosity

   an expressive style that uses excessive or empty words
2. noun

   the manner in which something is expressed in words
   “"use concise military verbiage"- G.S.Patton”

   synonyms: choice of words, diction, phraseology, phrasing, wording

   types:

   mot juste

   the appropriate word or expression

   verbalisation, verbalization

   the words that are spoken in the activity of verbalization

   type of:

   expression, formulation

   the style of expressing yourself