Sesquipedalian: Definition & Examples

The sesquipedalian words of an academic paper can often cause a feeling of floccinaucinihilipilification in the casual reader. 

A sesquipedalian word is one that is excessively long, often to a humorous or pretentious degree. 

This article will define the term, explain its meaning, provide a list of examples, and demonstrate how to use these words in a literary context.

Sesquipedalian Definition

The word sesquipedalian (pronounced ses-kwi-pi-DAY-lee-an) is an adjective used to describe words that are long. It can also describe a person who uses long words, often to an excessive degree, as a way to show off their intelligence. 

The word comes from the Latin phrase sesquipedalia verba, which literally means “words a foot and a half long.” This humorous origin points to the term’s original purpose—to describe words that are not just long, but comically or pretentiously long.

Sesquipedalian Meaning

At its core, the meaning of sesquipedalian is related to length and grandiosity. It is often used with a sense of irony or gentle mockery, implying that a word’s length is more of a curiosity than a necessity. The term can be applied to both a single word, like antidisestablishmentarianism, or to a person’s entire writing or speaking style if they consistently use long words.

For example, a writer who uses simple, direct language would be the opposite of a sesquipedalian writer. The word is not necessarily a criticism, but it does suggest a deliberate choice to use more elaborate language than might be necessary.

Sesquipedalian Examples

Historical and Famous Long Words

• Antidisestablishmentarianism: Opposition to the disestablishment of the Church of England.
• Floccinaucinihilipilification: The act of regarding something as worthless.
• Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis: A lung disease caused by inhaling fine silica dust.
• Honorificabilitudinitatibus: The state of being able to achieve honors.
• Incomprehensibilities: Things that are difficult to understand.
• Uncharacteristically: In a manner not typical for a person or thing.
• Counterrevolutionaries: People opposed to a revolution.

Scientific and Technical Terms

• Deinstitutionalization: The process of releasing individuals from institutional care.
• Psychophysicotherapeutics: Treatment of mental disorders through mind-body interaction.
• Subdermatoglyphic: Situated beneath the skin’s fingerprint patterns.
• Heptamethyltrisiloxane: A chemical compound used in silicone-based applications.
• Trinitrophenylmethylnitramine: A high explosive, also called tetryl.
• Dinitrophenylhydrazine: A reagent used in organic chemistry.
• Electroencephalographically: Relating to the recording of brainwave activity.
• Otorhinolaryngological: Concerning the medical specialty of ear, nose, and throat.
• Immunoelectrophoretically: Related to separation of proteins using an electric field in immunology.
• Hydrochlorofluorocarbon: A class of refrigerant chemicals.
• Incommensurability: Lack of a common standard of measurement.
• Deoxyribonucleic: Relating to DNA.

Abstract and Philosophical Terms

• Counterproductively: In a manner that produces the opposite of the intended effect.
• Microminiaturization: The process of creating extremely small mechanical or electronic devices.
• Irresponsibility: Lack of responsibility.
• Deindustrialization: Decline of industrial activity in a region or economy.
• Unprecedentedly: In a way that has never happened before.
• Incomprehensibility: The quality of being impossible to understand.
• Supererogation: Performing more work than duty requires.
• Circumlocution: The use of many words where fewer would do.

Sesquipedalians in a Sentence

• The author’s floccinaucinihilipilification of the protagonist’s emotional journey made for a rather unmoving narrative.
• A character’s sudden discombobulation was the central plot point in the short story, causing him to lose his way in the city.
• The critic’s circumlocution made it difficult to understand his true opinion of the novel.
• The author’s use of an unsubstantiatedly romantic subplot detracted from the novel’s main mystery.
• In the science fiction book, the hero’s microminiaturization of his ship was a pivotal moment in the climax.
• Her writing style was praised for its deinstitutionalization of classic romance tropes, offering a fresh perspective.
• The tragic play’s long, extemporaneously delivered monologue felt jarringly out of place.
• The complex fantasy world was built around a fictional element with a trinitrophenylmethylnitramine compound.
• The fantasy novel’s hero was known for his unflappability, as he faced every challenge with calm resolve.
• He described the villain’s unprecedentedly cruel actions with a level of detail that made the book hard to read.
• The incomprehensibility of the poem’s final lines left readers debating its true meaning for decades.
• The protagonist’s supererogation—doing more than his duty required—was the central theme of the war novel.
• The author’s deindustrialization of the fictional kingdom’s economy created a compelling backdrop for the story’s political drama.
• In the mystery novel, the sudden phantasmagorically shifting clues confused the detective.
• The novel’s subdermatoglyphic medical technology was a key part of its futuristic world-building.
• The critic’s disinterestedly written review was praised for its fairness and lack of bias.
• The author used a complex, interdenominational conflict to add a rich layer of world-building to his fantasy epic.
• In the spy novel, the protagonist’s counterintelligence skills were put to the test in a high-stakes finale.
• The legal drama’s subplot involved a character’s disenfranchisement due to a past crime.