long-windedness

long-windedness — noun

1. the habit or quality of using far more words than needed to express an idea, oft

1.nounC1
Definition

the habit or quality of using far more words than needed to express an idea, often making speeches or written pieces boring and hard to follow

Example

Auntie Yara's long-windedness at the dinner table sent the children to sleep early.

possessive + long-windedness + at [event]

The lawyer's long-windedness turned a simple three-minute statement into an hour-long talk.

Common collocations
  • suffer from long-windedness
  • accuse someone of long-windedness
  • long-windedness in writing
  • long-windedness about a topic
Synonyms
  • wordiness

    more neutral; simply means using too many words without the strong negative charge

  • verbosity

    more formal, often describes academic or bureaucratic over-elaboration

  • prolixity

    literary and severe; implies rambling, unstructured discourse that tests patience

Antonyms
  • conciseness

    the quality of expressing much in few words

  • brevity

    shortness, especially in speech or writing

Grammar Patterns

the long-windedness of + noun

possessive + long-windedness

Usage Note

Always negative in tone. Used to criticise formal speech or writing rather than casual chat among friends.

Common Mistakes

His long-windedness was inspiring.
His long-windedness was exhausting.
long-windedness is almost always a criticism, never a compliment.

2. the quality of being able to keep going physically without getting short of brea

2.nounC2
Definition

the quality of being able to keep going physically without getting short of breath; endurance of the lungs, now rare in everyday use

Example

Aunt Fatima's long-windedness surprised the hiking guide — she never paused for breath.

The trumpet player's long-windedness came from decades of holding long, steady notes.

context: wind instruments and breath control

Common collocations
  • build long-windedness
  • prized for long-windedness
  • remarkable long-windedness
Synonyms
  • stamina

    broader term for physical endurance, not limited to breath control

  • endurance

    the ability to withstand prolonged physical effort of any kind

Grammar Patterns

possessive + long-windedness

build/develop + long-windedness

Usage Note

Now rare and largely historical. The original sense of the word, first recorded in 1578. In modern English, 'stamina' or 'endurance' are strongly preferred.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These words all describe using too many words, but they differ in tone and where they apply. Wordiness is the most neutral — it points to inefficient expression without strong criticism, as in 'the essay was marked down for wordiness.' Verbosity suggests a formal, often pompous overuse of words, common in academic or bureaucratic writing: 'the committee's verbosity obscured its actual recommendations.' Prolixity is the most literary and severe term, implying tedious, rambling discourse that tests the reader's patience: 'the novel's prolixity drove away all but the most determined readers.' Garrulousness is specifically about excessive talking in social settings — a garrulous dinner guest chatters on but isn't necessarily boring. Long-windedness sits between verbosity and prolixity: it is more conversational than both, yet always carries clear disapproval. A verbose report might still be well-organised; a prolix one wanders; a long-winded one simply doesn't know when to stop.

wordiness ↗verbosity ↗prolixitygarrulousness ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • the long-windedness of [something]
  • suffer from long-windedness

Prepositions

  • long-windedness in
  • long-windedness about

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed from the adjective 'long-winded' plus the noun suffix '-ness.' The original meaning of 'long-winded' (first recorded in 1578) was 'able to breathe for a long time without tiring,' drawing on the image of having 'long wind' — sustained breath. By the late 1600s, the word shifted figuratively: a speaker who went on so long they left the listener breathless was called 'long-winded,' and the quality itself became 'long-windedness.' The modern sense of tedious verbosity has completely overtaken the original breath-endurance meaning.

First known use

1578

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 2