Home › Glossary › Letter F

Flowery language

Device
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

Ornate, highly decorative diction that prioritizes aesthetic embellishment over plain or functional expression.

Detailed Definition
Flowery language is rich, decorative diction characterized by abundant metaphor, simile, and descriptive flourishes, often used to embellish imagery and evoke lush mental pictures.
Example
Example in poetry:
Rich metaphor-laden descriptions of landscapes; Poetic language thick with similes; Sentences ornamented with classical allusions; Flowery depictions of emotions.
Additional Notes
Flowery language employs ornate diction, elaborate metaphors, and sensory excess. Related to ornamentation and poetic garland. Risky in modern poetry—use selectively to heighten mood, not mask weak ideas; balance with concrete imagery.
Also Known As
Grandiloquent diction Purple prose Ornate phrasing Euphuism
Skip to main content