Standard Lemma guide

polysyllabic

adj · noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌpɒ.lɪ.sɪˈlæ.bɪk/
  • Australian: /ˌpɔ.lɪ.sɪˈlæ.bɪk/
  • Canada, General-American: /ˌpɑ.li.sɪˈlæ.bɪk/
  • rhymes with -æbɪk
  • Canada: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: P AA2 L IY2 S IH0 L AE1 B IH0 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having more than one syllable; having multiple or many syllables.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • "Antidisestablishmentarianism" definitely qualifies as a polysyllabic word.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Characterized by or consisting of words having numerous syllables.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • I have a particularly off-putting predilection for the utilization of ponderously polysyllabic linguistic constructions.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A word having more than one syllable

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

(of words) long and ponderous; having many syllables

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • sesquipedalian technical terms

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sesquipedalian

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

having or characterized by words of more than three syllables

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pleh1- Proto-Indo-European *polh1ús Ancient Greek πολῠ́ς (polŭ́s)lbor. English poly- English syllabic English polysyllabic From poly- + syllabic.

Across languages

Translations

36 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: բազմավանկ (bazmavank) — having more than one syllable
  • Belarusian: шматскладо́вы (šmatskladóvy) — having more than one syllable
  • Bulgarian: многосри́чен (mnogosríčen) — having more than one syllable
  • Catalan: polisíl·lab — having more than one syllable
  • Catalan: polisil·làbic — having more than one syllable
  • Chinese Mandarin: 多音節的 /多音节的 (duōyīnjié de) — having more than one syllable
  • Czech: mnohoslabičný — having more than one syllable
  • Czech: víceslabičný — having more than one syllable
  • Dutch: meerlettergrepig — having more than one syllable
  • Faroese: við fleiri stavilsum — having more than one syllable
  • Finnish: monitavuinen — having more than one syllable
  • French: polysyllabique — having more than one syllable
  • German: vielsilbig — having more than one syllable
  • German: mehrsilbig — having more than one syllable
  • Greek: πολυσύλλαβος (polysýllavos) — having more than one syllable
  • Hungarian: több szótagú/szótagos — having more than one syllable
  • Irish: ilsiollach — having more than one syllable
  • Italian: plurisillabo — having more than one syllable
  • Italian: polisillabico — having more than one syllable
  • Italian: polisillabo — having more than one syllable
  • Japanese: 多音節 (taonsetsu) — having more than one syllable
  • Korean: 다음절의 (da'eumjeorui) — having more than one syllable
  • Macedonian: повеќесложен (poveḱesložen) — having more than one syllable
  • Manx: yl-heelagh — having more than one syllable
  • Polish: wielosylabowy — having more than one syllable
  • Portuguese: polissilábico — having more than one syllable
  • Portuguese: polissílabo — having more than one syllable
  • Russian: многосло́жный (mnogoslóžnyj) — having more than one syllable
  • Scottish Gaelic: ioma-lideach — having more than one syllable
  • Slovak: viacslabičný — having more than one syllable
  • Spanish: polisílabo — having more than one syllable
  • Swedish: flerstavig — having more than one syllable
  • Turkish: çok heceli — having more than one syllable
  • Ukrainian: багатоскладо́вий (bahatoskladóvyj) — having more than one syllable
  • Vietnamese: đa âm tiết — having more than one syllable
  • Vietnamese: nhiều âm tiết — having more than one syllable