officialese

English

Etymology

From official +‎ -ese.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ə.fɪ.ʃəˈliːz/

Noun

officialese (countable and uncountable, plural officialeses)

  1. The typical language of officials or official documents; legalistic and pompous language. [from 19th c.]
    Synonym: bureaucratese
    • 2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 263:
      These were men, the chronicler continued, who ‘spoke pleasantly’, in the smooth officialese that most of Henry's counsellors were accustomed to deploy […]
    • 2021, Tom Albrighton, How to Write Clearly […] , ABC Business Communications Ltd, →ISBN, page 144:
      But while using officialese might give your writing the outward appearance of being thorough and correct, that doesn't mean there's anything happening underneath. Officialese is a kind of defense mechanism. It's rooted in the fear of getting something wrong, or leaving something out, or looking stupid.

Translations

See also

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