1
as in homiletical
marked by or given to preaching moral values
a sententious crank who has written countless letters to the editor about the decline in family values
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2
as in concise
marked by the use of few words to convey much information or meaning
memoirs that are filled with sententious observations on love, marriage, and happiness
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Recent Examples of sententious
This is a bracing, even novel, perspective on a war whose film depictions so often traffic in sententious Greatest Generation platitudes.
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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
Without the wit inherent in an epigram, a sententious formulation becomes a mere adage, aphorism, apothegm, gnome, maxim, or saw.
—Bryan A. Garner, National Review, 15 Sep. 2022
Instead each event—from lethal accidents to vicious murders to Category 5 hurricanes—is immediately sorted into its prelabeled moral narrative file, each one full of similarly useful sententious parables.
—Gerard Baker, WSJ, 30 May 2022
Dialogue is rendered in the pseudo-profound pronouncements that have become the sententious lingua franca of the hero’s quest.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2022
This melodramatic narrative fits right into American indie filmmaker Kelly Reichardt’s domain, but Francis Lee is a less sententious proselytizer for gay life.
—Armond White, National Review, 13 Nov. 2020
These are the sententious keynote presentations, used to dazzle investors or recruit employees, that try to get a startup to seem like a holy mission.
—Wired, 22 Oct. 2019
What’s more, Charles’s sententious interpretation of noblesse oblige leaves him open to the charge of overstepping the constitutional boundaries of his position.
—Zoë Heller, The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2017
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
Without the wit inherent in an epigram, a sententious formulation becomes a mere adage, aphorism, apothegm, gnome, maxim, or saw.
—Bryan A. Garner, National Review, 15 Sep. 2022
Instead each event—from lethal accidents to vicious murders to Category 5 hurricanes—is immediately sorted into its prelabeled moral narrative file, each one full of similarly useful sententious parables.
—Gerard Baker, WSJ, 30 May 2022
Dialogue is rendered in the pseudo-profound pronouncements that have become the sententious lingua franca of the hero’s quest.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2022
This melodramatic narrative fits right into American indie filmmaker Kelly Reichardt’s domain, but Francis Lee is a less sententious proselytizer for gay life.
—Armond White, National Review, 13 Nov. 2020
These are the sententious keynote presentations, used to dazzle investors or recruit employees, that try to get a startup to seem like a holy mission.
—Wired, 22 Oct. 2019
What’s more, Charles’s sententious interpretation of noblesse oblige leaves him open to the charge of overstepping the constitutional boundaries of his position.
—Zoë Heller, The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sententious
Adjective
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The new Bose Smart soundbar has A.I. Dialogue Mode that elevates the crispness of the speaker onscreen to fight this, offering clear, concise dialogue that's a breeze to hear in the mix.Kelsey Legg, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2024
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Preferring fast-moving social media like TikTok, this generation is used to absorbing fast and concise information.Boris Abaev, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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After a brief impression of Judy, Paris offered some insight into one of the girls’ foremost comedic influences growing up.Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 18 Nov. 2024
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In brief bursts Friday night at Ball Arena, a rowdy crowd told Valeri Nichushkin all is forgiven.Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The Virtual Assistant was able to relay what participants said almost perfectly, as well as break things down into summary topics.Robert Anderson, PCMAG, 23 Sep. 2024
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April 3 — Ukraine discovers Russian atrocities in Bucha Russia's hasty retreat from Kyiv's suburbs revealed evidence of summary executions, beheadings, torture, rape, and other atrocities.Peter Weber, theweek, 14 May 2024
Adjective
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Roots of the New York School: The Foundations of American Modernism is a madly didactic abstraction that looks further back in time to artists and collectors like Duchamp, Rothko, Betty Parsons, Peggy Guggenheim, and Lee Krasner.Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
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In Things to Come, shots of airplane squadrons over the white cliffs of Dover and superimpositions of soldiers marching through the English countryside were eccentric visions of pre-War British fears, perfecting what Wells had made overly didactic.Armond White, National Review, 9 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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In one particularly instructive moment, Wang articulates the differences between various economic structures and authoritarianism.Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Nov. 2024
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The transformation of medical practice to healthcare is instructive in this context.Mark A. Cohen, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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As if predicting this kind of encounter, Kyunghee is moralistic about Sunja’s decision to let Mozasu work in what is seen as an ignoble business, the haunt of gangsters and ne’er-do-wellers.Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024
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These are not virtues in a moralistic sense but, rather, habits of excellence inspired by definitions from ancient philosophy.Sarah Elk, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near sententious
Cite this Entry
“Sententious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sententious. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
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