noun
- plural of periphrasis; roundabout or indirect ways of expressing something; circumlocutions
Usage: formal; rhetoric
Examples
- The politician’s speech was full of periphrases that avoided direct answers.
- Academic writing sometimes suffers from unnecessary periphrases that obscure meaning.
- The author used elaborate periphrases instead of simple, clear language.
- Legal documents often contain periphrases that make them difficult to understand.
- She criticized the report for its periphrases when brevity was needed.
- The teacher encouraged students to avoid periphrases in their essays.