Meanings
plural ten-dollar words
- USidiomaticA long and uncommon word used in place of a shorter and simpler one with the intent to appear sophisticated.
Sometimes it pays to overcomplicate your simple messages. Make a list of ten-dollar words, scientific terms, and obscure niblets of jargon and find ways to use them. Your reputation and authority will soar.
2018 June 13, Michael Schein, “Author Simon Sinek Is Full Of Hot Air (And Other Reasons You Should Follow His Lead)”, in ForbesSynonyms: twenty-five cent word, two-dollar word, five-dollar word · Antonyms: ten-cent word
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA long and uncommon word used in place of a shorter and simpler one with the intent to appear sophisticated.
Cite this entry
ten-dollar word. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ten-dollar%20word
“ten-dollar word.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ten-dollar%20word. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ten-dollar word,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ten-dollar%20word.
Source: ten-dollar word on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.