periphrastic
/ˌpɛ.ɹəˈfɹæ.stɪk/adjective
periphrastic is spelled P-E-R-I-P-H-R-A-S-T-I-C: 12 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 20 million words in written English, the 134,976th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, periphrastic means “Expressed in more words than are necessary” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in periphrastic?
| Letters | 12: P-E-R-I-P-H-R-A-S-T-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 20 million words; the 134,976th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is periphrastic?
Periphrastic appears about once in every 20 million words in written English, the 134,976th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce periphrastic?
- UK /ˌpɛ.ɹɪˈfɹæ.stɪk/
- US /ˌpɛ.ɹəˈfɹæ.stɪk/
Periphrastic has 4 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-periphrastic.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with periphrastic?
10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as periphrastic from its last stressed vowel (/æstɪk/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of periphrastic
- periphrasic
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does periphrastic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Expressed in more words than are necessary.
He wrote a periphrastic love letter to his wife to patch up their relationship.
- 2
Indirect in naming an entity; circumlocutory.
- 3
Characterized by periphrasis.
“The daughter of the man” may be used as a periphrastic synonym for “the man’s daughter”.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Periphrastic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense expressed in more words than are necessary:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | périphrastique |
| Portuguese | perifrástico |
| Spanish | perifrástico |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does periphrastic come from?
Borrowed from Ancient Greek περιφραστικός (periphrastikós), from περίφρασις (períphrasis, “periphrasis”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).