stilted

/'stiltid/

Definition

Adjective:
- Artificially formal or stiff: Describes language, behavior, or style that is excessively formal, unnatural, and lacking in ease or spontaneity. It often results from trying too hard to be correct or impressive.
- Elevated on or as if on stilts: In architecture or description, something raised on supports, giving an elevated or unnatural appearance.

Usage and Examples

Describing language or speech:
- His speech was so stilted that it was hard to listen to; he sounded like he was reading from a very old textbook.
- Avoid stilted language in your emails; try to write as you would speak naturally.
Describing behavior or manner:
- Their conversation felt stilted and awkward, full of long pauses and overly polite phrases.
- The actor's stilted performance made the character seem unrealistic and wooden.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

In literary criticism: A stilted writing style is one that is pompous, pedantic, and fails to flow naturally, often using archaic or inappropriately complex vocabulary.
- The novel's dialogue was criticized for being stilted and unconvincing.
In linguistics: Refers to pronunciation that is overly careful and unnatural, often observed when someone is consciously trying to modify their accent or speak a foreign language.
- Language learners sometimes have a stilted accent until they gain more confidence and fluency.

Variants and Related Words

Stiltedly (adverb): In a stilted manner.
- He spoke stiltedly, pausing after every word.
Stiltedness (noun): The quality of being stilted.
- The stiltedness of the official document made it difficult to understand.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Idioms and Phrases

To sound stilted: To speak or write in an unnaturally formal way.
- If you memorize the speech, you might sound stilted. Try to learn the ideas instead.
Stilted prose: Writing that is artificially elevated and difficult to read.
- The academic paper was full of stilted prose that obscured its main arguments.

Adjective

artificially formal
- that artificial humility that her husband hated
- contrived coyness
- a stilted letter of acknowledgment
- when people try to correct their speech they develop a stilted pronunciation

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