periodic sentence

noun

A complex sentence whose main clause is left unfinished until the end in order to create the effect of anticipation or suspense.

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Meanings

nounperiodic sentence (plural periodic sentences)

plural periodic sentences

  1. rhetoricA complex sentence whose main clause is left unfinished until the end in order to create the effect of anticipation or suspense.
Cite this entry
APA

periodic sentence. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/periodic%20sentence

MLA

“periodic sentence.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/periodic%20sentence. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “periodic sentence,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/periodic%20sentence.

Source: periodic sentence on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.