Meanings
plural lexiphanicisms
- countableuncountableThe use of pretentious words or language.
The student's lexiphanicism is an obvious attempt to appear smart but really only serves to make him look pompous.
1 more example
Last week, I overheard one editor at the Crimson accuse another of being a lexiphane. The accused, quick to his wit, replied that to indict someone for lexiphanicism is the surest way to confirm one’s hypocrisy.
2014 April 11, Noah B. Pisner, “Big words and their use on campus”, in Harvard Magazine, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Magazine Inc., →OCLC, archived from the original on 03 Sep 2023
Origin
From lexiphanic + -ism, from Lexiphanes (“a character in the works of Lucian”) + -ic.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
lexiphanicism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lexiphanicism
“lexiphanicism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lexiphanicism. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lexiphanicism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lexiphanicism.
Source: lexiphanicism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.