What context can I use each word in?
Learn when and how to use these words with these examples!
verbosity
Example
The politician's verbosity made it difficult to understand his stance on the issue. [verbosity: noun]
Example
She was criticized for her verbosity in the report, which made it hard to follow. [verbosity: noun]
wordiness
Example
The article was criticized for its wordiness, which made it hard to read. [wordiness: noun]
Example
He tends to be wordy in his emails, which can make them hard to follow. [wordy: adjective]
Good things to know
Which word is more common?
Wordiness is more commonly used than verbosity in everyday language, but both words are used to describe the same concept.
What’s the difference in the tone of formality between verbosity and wordiness?
Verbosity is more formal than wordiness, and is often used in academic or political writing to criticize a communication style that is unnecessarily long-winded or verbose.