Sesquipedalian is a word containing many syllables; it is a really long word. In Latin, it translates to “a foot and a half.” Sesquipedalian words are appropriate for spelling bees, word study and vocabulary development. Ideally select 3 to 5 words a week to increase your child’s vocabulary in either middle or high school.
Sesquipedalian Words
The list below contains over 160 sesquipedalian words and a brief definition. The smallest words contain 12 letters and the largest word contains 29 letters.
| Sesquipedalian | Definition |
|---|---|
| abovementioned | mentioned before; noted earlier in text |
| abracadabra | words spoken by magician |
| absentminded | habitually forgetful or inattentive disposition |
| acculturation | adopting cultural traits, ideas or habits of another group |
| acetaminophen | nonaspirin medicine used to reduce pain and fevers |
| acknowledgement | recognition of the existence or truth |
| aforementioned | cited or mentioned previously |
| aggrandizement | an act or instance of making greater; increasing in size or intensity |
| alphanumeric | using letters, numbers, and special characters, e.g., punctuation marks |
| anagrammatically | a word, phrase, or sentence formed from another by rearranging its letters |
| analphabetic | not alphabetic order |
| anesthesiologist | a physician who gives pain and sensation medication prior to treatment |
| anthropocentric | regards humans as the central fact of the universe; centering views around humans |
| anthropomorphism | attributing human characteristics to animals or objects |
| atherosclerosis | condition of having fatty deposits in one's arteries |
| authoritarianism | governing with strict obedience; favoring complete obedience as opposed to individual freedom |
| baccalaureate* | bachelor's degree. |
| biodegradability | capable of decaying through the action of living organisms; can be broken down naturally to return to elements |
| bougainvillea | a type of flowering vine or shrub |
| bureaucratization | to organize like a government with rules and procedures |
| characterization | portrayal; a description of qualities or appearance |
| cinematography | the art or technique of motion-picture photography; shooting of a film |
| circumambulate | to walk or go about or around, especially ceremoniously |
| circumlocution | a roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to express an idea |
| circumnavigate | to sail or fly around; make the circuit of by navigation, e.g., to circumnavigate the earth |
| claustrophobia | an abnormal fear of being in enclosed or narrow places |
| colloquialism | part of informal way of speaking rather than formal speech or writing; informal |
| committeewomen | a woman serving as a member of a committee |
| compartmentalization | to divide into categories or put into separate sections |
| consequentially | following as an effect, as a result of, or outcome |
| contemporaneous | living or occurring during the same period of time; two things happening at the same time |
| contemporaneous* | living or occurring during the same period of time |
| counterclockwise | in a direction opposite to that of the normal rotation of the hands of a clock; not clockwise - going left to right in a circular motion |
| counterproductive | thwarting the achievement of an intended goal; tending to defeat one's purpose; outcomes are the opposite of what was intended |
| cruciverbalist | a designer or fanatic of crossword puzzles |
| dermatological | the branch of medicine dealing with the skin and its diseases |
| disadvantageous | unfavorable; detrimental or harmful |
| disappointment | to fail to fulfill the expectations or wishes of; not as expected |
| disciplinarian | a person who enforces or advocates strict rule of behavior |
| discontinuation | a breach or interruption of continuity or unity; not continuing |
| disenfranchisement | to deprive of a franchise, of a legal right, or of some privilege or immunity |
| disproportionate | being out of proportion |
| eavesdropping | to listen secretly to what is said in private |
| electrocardiogram | the visual record of electrical activity in the heart, also referred to as EKG or ECG |
| electroencephalogram | visual record of electrical activity in the brain, also referred to as EEG |
| electromagnetically | of or pertaining to electromagnetism or electromagnetic fields |
| encyclopedia | a book or set of books containing information about many topics |
| epidemiological | related to the study of diseases in large populations |
| euphemistically | using mild or indirect language to refer to something harsh or sensitive |
| experimentation | a test, trial or procedures performed for the purpose of discovering something unknown or to test a principle |
| extemporaneous | not rehearsed; without preparation; impromptu |
| extemporaneous* | done, spoken or performed without special advance preparation; impromptu |
| floccinaucinihilipilification | the estimation of something as valueless, rarely used |
| fossilization | to process of turning into fossil; replace organic with mineral substances in the remains of an organism |
| geochronological | the chronology of the earth; relating to the periods n the history of the world |
| grandiloquence* | speech that is lofty in tone, often to the point of being pompous orbombastic |
| heterogeneous | different in kind; unlike |
| humanitarianism | having concern for or helping to improve the welfare and happiness of people |
| hypersensitivity | excessively sensitive |
| hyperventilation | excessively rapid and deep breathing |
| hypochondriac | an excessive preoccupation with one's health |
| iconographer | a person who draws illustrations or symbols |
| idiosyncratic | a characteristic, habit, mannerism or behavior that is peculiar or strange to an individual |
| immensurable | incapable of being measured; limitless; not able to be measured |
| impenetrability | not penetrable; cannot be penetrated, pierced or entered |
| incandescence* | the emission of visible light by a body, caused by its high temperature |
| incomprehensible | impossible to understand or comprehend |
| incrimination | to accuse of or present proof of a crime or fault |
| indistinguishable | impossible to tell apart |
| interconnectivity | to connect with one another |
| interdepartmental | involving or existing between two or more departments |
| interdisciplinary | combining or involving two or more academic disciplines or fields of study |
| interscholastic | existing or carried on between schools |
| kindergartner | a child who attends a kindergarten |
| lexicographer | a writer, editor, or compiler of a dictionary |
| mathematician | an expert or specialist in mathematics |
| megalomaniacal | obsessed with actions or ideas on a grand scale; a symptom of mental illness marked by delusions of greatness or wealth |
| metamorphosis | the process of changing from one thing to another, caterpillar to pupa to butterfly |
| meteorologist | a person who studies the weather |
| microbiologist | a person who studies the smallest organisms or living things |
| mispronunciation | to pronounce the wrong way; to say a word incorrectly |
| monochromatically | having or consisting of one color or hue |
| multidimensional | having more than one dimension |
| neurotransmitter | a substance that aids or hinders transmission of nerve impulses |
| nonconformance | not acting according to accepted social standards, attitudes, practices or rules |
| nondiscriminatory | not prejudice; not showing a difference in behavior toward someone or something |
| oceanographer | a person who studies the ocean |
| octogenarian | between 80 and 90 years old |
| omnivorousness | eating both animal and plant foods |
| orthography | the art of writing words with the proper letters, according to accepted usage; correct spelling |
| overemphasize | to make too much of; to emphasize excessively |
| pachydermal | a thick-skinned, nonruminant ungulates,e.g., elephant, hippopotamus and rhinoceros |
| pandemonium | chaos, noisy and out of control |
| parallelogram | a four sided shape with opposite sides parallel to each other |
| parenthetical | explanatory information contained within parentheses |
| peacekeeping | the maintenance of peace through enforcement and supervision |
| perpendicular | vertical; straight up and down; upright |
| perspicacious | keen perception and understanding |
| phantasmagorical | a fantastic or deceptive appearance, as something in a dream or created by the imagination |
| pharmaceutical | preparing and dispensing drugs and medicines prescribed to treat illness |
| philosophunculist | a person who pretends to know more than he or she actually does |
| phosphorescence | giving off light after exposure to energy; "glow in the dark" |
| polyunsaturated | a type of fat or oil like corn or sunflower oil |
| pomegranate | a red-skinned fruit with juicy pulp and many seeds |
| prestidigitation | sleight of hand magic; trickery or deception |
| primatologist | a person who studies primates, e.g., apes and monkeys |
| prognosticator | to forecast or predict |
| pseudonymous | use of a false or fictitious name, like a pen name |
| pseudosophisticated | given the appearance of being worldly |
| psychodynamic | interaction of mental and emotional processes in behavior, e.g., Freud's clinical approach to personality |
| psychosomatic | a physical disorder that is caused by emotional or mental stress |
| pusillanimous | lacking courage or resolution; cowardly |
| pyrotechnist | person who sets off fireworks |
| quadricentennial | 400th anniversary; the completion of a period of four hundred years |
| quinquennium | a period of five years |
| rambunctious | difficult to control or handle; wildly boisterous |
| reconceptualization | to form into a concept; a rethinking of an idea |
| refurbishment | to restore or renew; renovate |
| reinforcement | to strengthen |
| reminiscence | a memory; recalling a past experiences or events |
| replenishment | to make full or complete again; replacing or refilling |
| representative | a person, thing or idea that takes the place of others or serves as an example |
| responsibilities | duties or obligations |
| revolutionary | bringing about a major change |
| septuagenarian | a person who is between 70 and 80 years old |
| sesquicentennial | 150th anniversary; the completion of a period of 150 years |
| simplification | to make less complex or complicated; make plainer or easier |
| somnambulist | a person who sleepwalks; walking, eating, or performing other motor acts while asleep, of which one is unaware upon awakening |
| sportsmanship | play fair; exhibit sportsmanlike conduct, e.g., fairness, courtesy, respectful and cheerful even if you lose |
| stomachache | pain in the stomach or abdomen |
| subterranean | underground; existing, situated, or operating below the surface of the earth |
| supercilious | prideful, haughtily disdainful or contemptuous |
| superfluous | being more than is sufficient or required; excessive |
| syllabication | to break words down into pronounceable parts |
| tantalizingly | something that provokes temptation, interest or desire but remains unobtainable or beyond one's reach |
| thousand fold | a thousand times; having a thousand elements or parts |
| tintinnabulation | the ringing or sound of bells |
| transcontinental | passing or extending across a continent |
| transcription | to make a written copy, especially a typewritten copy, of dictated or spoken material |
| transportation | to carry, move, or convey from one place to another |
| trustworthiness | deserving of trust or confidence; dependable; reliable |
| underdevelopment | not normally or adequately developed |
| understatement | to represent as less than is the case |
| unexceptional | not out of the ordinary; commonplace |
| unidirectional | coming from one direction; a single direction |
| uninformative | not providing information |
| unperturbed | not worried; calm |
| vaccination | to administer a vaccine to prevent disease |
| ventriloquist | a person who speaks with little or no lip movement so that the voice does not appear to come from the speaker but from another source, e.g. a wooden dummy |
| verbalization | to express in words; something spoken |
| verisimilitude | the appearance or semblance of truth; likelihood; probability |
| vernacularism | pertaining to common or native language |
| vicissitudes | a change or variation occurring in the course of something |
| vinaigrette | a salad dressing using vinegar as a main ingredient |
| volunteerism | voluntarily offering a service or undertaking; the act of offering to do something |
| vulnerability | capable of or susceptible to being wounded or hurt |
| warmhearted | having or showing sympathy, affection, kindness and cordiality |
| weatherproof | able to withstand exposure to all kinds of weather |
| whatchamacallit | an object or person whose name one does not know or cannot recall |
| xerographic | related to photocopy |
| zenzizenzizenic | the 8th power of a number |
Source: Fry, E.B., Ph.D. & Kress, J.E., Ed.D. (2006). The Reading
Teacher’s Book of Lists 5th Edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass
(Note: We added 5 words which are designated by an asterisk -*).
Online Dictionaries: www.merriam-webster.com and dictionary.reference.com
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