Standard Lemma guide

wordy

adj · 2 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.

  • General-American: /ˈwɝdi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)di
  • homophone: wordie
  • CMU ARPABET: W ER1 D IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Using an excessive number of words.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The story was long and very wordy.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

using or containing too many words

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • long-winded (or windy) speakers
  • verbose and ineffective instructional methods
  • newspapers of the day printed long wordy editorials
  • proceedings were delayed by wordy disputes

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: long-winded, tedious, verbose, windy

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English wordy, woordi, from Old English wordiġ (“wordy, verbose”), equivalent to word + -y. Cognate with Icelandic orðigur (“wordy”).

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: многосло́вен (mnogoslóven) — using an excessive number of words
  • Chinese Mandarin: 囉嗦 /啰嗦 (luōsuo) — using an excessive number of words
  • Chinese Mandarin: 冗長 /冗长 (rǒngcháng) — using an excessive number of words
  • Finnish: monisanainen — using an excessive number of words
  • French: verbeux — using an excessive number of words
  • German: langatmig — using an excessive number of words
  • German: weitschweifig — using an excessive number of words
  • German: wortreich — using an excessive number of words
  • Ancient Greek: περισσολόγος (perissológos) — using an excessive number of words
  • Hawaiian: hoʻonui ʻōlelo — using an excessive number of words
  • Irish: foclach — using an excessive number of words
  • Irish: teangach — using an excessive number of words
  • Italian: prolisso — using an excessive number of words
  • Japanese: 饒舌な (jōzetsuna) — using an excessive number of words
  • Japanese: くどい (kudoi) — using an excessive number of words
  • Japanese: くどくどしい (kudokudoshii) — using an excessive number of words
  • Latin: verbōsus — using an excessive number of words
  • Macedonian: го́ворен (góvoren) — using an excessive number of words
  • Macedonian: многугла́голив (mnoguglágoliv) — using an excessive number of words
  • Macedonian: ре́чев (réčev) — using an excessive number of words
  • Middle English: wordy — using an excessive number of words
  • Polish: przegadany — using an excessive number of words
  • Polish: rozwlekły — using an excessive number of words
  • Portuguese: prolixo — using an excessive number of words
  • Portuguese: palavroso — using an excessive number of words
  • Romanian: prolix — using an excessive number of words
  • Russian: многосло́вный (mnogoslóvnyj) — using an excessive number of words
  • Spanish: verborrágico — using an excessive number of words
  • Turkish: sözü uzatan — using an excessive number of words
  • Ukrainian: багатослі́вний (bahatoslívnyj) — using an excessive number of words
  • Welsh: geiriog — using an excessive number of words