Usually means: Verbose, ornate language style, elaborate.
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We found 12 dictionaries that define the word johnsonese:

General (12 matching dictionaries)
  1. Johnsonese: Merriam-Webster
  2. Johnsonese, johnsonese: Wordnik
  3. Johnsonese: Wiktionary
  4. Johnsonese: Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Ed.
  5. Johnsonese: Infoplease Dictionary
  6. Johnsonese, johnsonese: Dictionary.com
  7. Johnsonese: Online Plain Text English Dictionary
  8. johnsonese: Webster's Revised Unabridged, 1913 Edition
  9. Johnsonese: AllWords.com Multi-Lingual Dictionary
  10. johnsonese: FreeDictionary.org
  11. Johnsonese: TheFreeDictionary.com
  12. Johnsonese: Merriam-Webster

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Definitions from Wiktionary (Johnsonese)

▸ noun:  The literary style of Dr. Samuel Johnson; an inflated, stilted, or pompous style, affecting classical words.

Similar:
literaryism, sesquipedalianism, euphuist, legalese, formalese, academese, officialese, elegant variation, phraseology, purple prose, more...

Opposite:
plain English, layman's terms

Types:
jargon, slang, cant, argot, vernacular, patois, more...

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Similar:
literaryism, sesquipedalianism, euphuist, legalese, formalese, academese, officialese, elegant variation, phraseology, purple prose, more...

Opposite:
plain English, layman's terms

Types:
jargon, slang, cant, argot, vernacular, patois, more...



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