Home › Glossary › Letter E

Euphuism

Style
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An ornate Elizabethan style marked by elaborate metaphors, alliteration, antithesis, and Latinate diction, exemplified by John Lyly.

Detailed Definition
Euphuism is an ornate Elizabethan prose and poetic style marked by balanced clauses, alliteration, classical allusions, and elaborate similes (e.g., “as the dolphin loves the storm, so doth the lover court despair”); popularized by John Lyly, it values artificial elegance over natural expression.
Example
Example in poetry:
Lyly’s prose: “The roses in her cheeks are like the roses in her cheeks”; Euphuism uses antithesis, alliteration, and mythic allusion; Modern parody: “As the phoenix to flame, so is my Wi-Fi to buffering”; The style influenced Shakespeare’s early comedies.
Additional Notes
Elaborate, artificial prose style (named for Lyly's Euphues). Excessive ornament, balance, antithesis, classical allusions. Elizabethan. Related: ornate diction, mannered style. Recognize to avoid.
Also Known As
Ornate style Elaborate prose Flowery language Ornamental writing
Skip to main content