Johnsonese

J8O1H4N1S1O1N1E1S1E1

proper noun

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

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Meanings

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

    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

    1843, Thomas Babington Macaulay, “Madame D'Arblay”, in Edinburgh Review

Origin

From Johnson + -ese.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Johnsonese. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Johnsonese

MLA

“Johnsonese.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Johnsonese. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Johnsonese,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Johnsonese.

Source: Johnsonese on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.