Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

johnsonese

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: john-sonese
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

The literary style of Dr. Samuel Johnson; an inflated, stilted, or pompous style, affecting classical words.

Example Sentences

"It is a sort of broken Johnsonese, a barbarous patois, bearing the same relation to the language of Rasselas which the gibberish of the negroes of Jamaica bears to the English of the House of Lords"

Etymology

From Johnson + -ese.

Word Breakdown

Suffix: Johnson

Questions

What does johnsonese mean?: The literary style of Dr. Samuel Johnson; an inflated, stilted, or pompous style, affecting classical words.
Where does johnsonese come from?: From Johnson + -ese.

How to pronounce johnsonese

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