Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In a sententious manner; in short, expressive periods; with striking brevity.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb In a sententious manner, concisely, pithily.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb in a pithy sententious manner

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

sententious +‎ -ly

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Examples

  • Fraser rolled out the phrase sententiously, not quite able to hide his delight at the opportunity.

    Modesty Blaise O'Donnell, P. 1965

  • "A dollar means more grub," he remarked sententiously.

    THE APOSTATE: written by Jack London 2010

  • "A dollar means more grub," he remarked sententiously.

    THE APOSTATE 2010

  • "It all comes to dust," Raoul remarked sententiously, sitting down.

    THE DEVILS OF FUATINO 2010

  • "You said it," Old Tarwater remarked sententiously, tossing the single-tree aside and starting to struggle into his coat.

    LIKE ARGUS OF THE ANCIENT TIMES 2010

  • In times of the most solemn emotion, Hawaiians slipped into Pidgin English, gabbling sententiously, and though they found this lingo more neighborly -- more tragic for its realism -- it just made me smile and say, Oh, cut it out.

    Beard 2010

  • “The truth is always best,” he answered sententiously with a wicked gleam in his dark brown eyes.

    Primal Instincts Susan Sizemore 2010

  • "Flowers turn to the light!" droned Ismail's voice above sententiously, and turning, he thought he could see red eyes peering over the rock.

    In The Time Of Light dj barber 2010

  • Hood and somehow not places like Sidwell, Dalton, St Albans, Crossroads High, etc., then exactly the same set of Elite Narrative Commentators will sententiously ask why government and officialdom ignored all the warning signs.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Reading While Traveling, Hard Copy and No Internet 2009

  • For instance, I like the weird-tales fiction of H.P. Lovecraft, I really do, but recognize that many intelligent people find him unreadable — sententiously overwrought and cheesy, a purveyor of altogether too much eldritch ichor.

    A Family Worth Knowing Dirda, Michael 2009

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