officialese

English

Etymology

From official +‎ -ese.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ə.fɪ.ʃəˈliːz/

Noun

officialese (countable and uncountable, plural officialeses)

1. The typical language of officials or official documents; legalistic and pompous language. [from 19th c.]
   • 2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 263:

     These were men, the chronicler continued, who ‘spoke pleasantly’, in the smooth officialese that most of Henry's counsellors were accustomed to deploy […]

Synonyms

• bureaucratese

Translations

bureaucratese — see bureaucratese

See also

• legalese