1
a
: given to or abounding in aphoristic expression
b
: given to or abounding in excessive moralizing
2
: terse, aphoristic, or moralistic in expression : pithy, epigrammatic
sententiously adverb
sententiousness noun

Did you know?

Nowadays, "sententious" is usually uncomplimentary, implying banality, oversimplification, and excessive moralizing. But that hasn't always been the case, nor is it universally so even now. The original Middle English sense of "sententious" was "full of meaning," a meaning adopted from Latin sententiosus (from sententia, meaning "sentence" or "maxim"). In Modern English, too, "sententious" has sometimes referred to what is full of significance and expressed tersely. Or sometimes "sententious" simply suggests an affinity for aphorisms, as when it refers to the likes of Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard (of almanac fame), the homespun philosopher given to such statements as "early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."

Examples of sententious in a Sentence

a smug and sententious writer a sententious crank who has written countless letters to the editor about the decline in family values
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This is a bracing, even novel, perspective on a war whose film depictions so often traffic in sententious Greatest Generation platitudes. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024 Only the vivid image of the warped planks keeps this remark from being the type of sententious counsel that Polonius might have given his son. Nikhil Krishnan, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, full of meaning, from Latin sententiosus, from sententia sentence, maxim

First Known Use

1509, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of sententious was in 1509

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Cite this Entry

“Sententious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sententious. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

sententious

adjective
: containing or using phrases which sound more important than they are
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