What is a word to describe inefficient communication?

Question

Example 1 - When reviewing résumés I don't want someone to use 1.5 pages to describe one job.

Example 2 - When a person uses excessive description to answer a simple question.

(Or, if you want to get even more technical, "high entropy".) — Hot Licks, Apr 25 '16 at 19:13
When describing someone who elaborates beyond necessity, I've heard it said: "Ask him for the time and he'll tell you how to build a clock". (-: — Jim Mack, Apr 25 '16 at 20:41
@HotLicks: High entropy would actually indicate a high amount of information, not a low information density. — user2357112, Apr 26 '16 at 17:26
StenevL, The word you're looking for is "long". As in "the cv is too long" or the "description is too long". Nothing else is needed here. Indeed anything else would be too long. — Fattie, Apr 26 '16 at 19:33

score 35 · Answer 1 · answered Apr 25 '16 at 14:58

35

Taking a page from Araucaria, I'd suggest long-winded:

using too many words in speaking or writing
_{from m-w.com}

So you could say, for example:

I don't like such long-winded resumes.
He gave a really long-winded answer to what I meant as a simple question.
Pat's long-windedness can be really off-putting.

answered Apr 25 '16 at 14:58

Hellion

59,365

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long-winded is long-winded. Just say "long". – Fattie Apr 26 '16 at 19:33
@JoeBlow Wow! 12 answers, I'm getting winded just looking at them! – Apr 26 '16 at 22:48
1

@Fattie: the joke itself aside, there is a difference here. "Long-winded" carries the connotation of it being longer than would have been necessary, whereas "long" can be an objective measure of length without carrying the connotation of being too long. In that sense, "long-winded" is not long-winded. – Flater Jul 26 '17 at 09:57

score 32 · Answer 2 · edited Apr 25 '16 at 16:00

32

Using the word verbose may work for you, for example:

"For a 1 mark question, your answer was verbose."

As antonyms, you could use laconic or concise, e.g.

"Credit will be given for a concise description of the problem."

edited Apr 25 '16 at 16:00

Graffito

13,201

answered Apr 25 '16 at 14:26

Jon

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I would like to add that verbosity is not inherently bad; overly verbose would be a much clearer term. – Stephan Bijzitter Apr 25 '16 at 21:21
Funny, I know "verbose" as a term used in programming. Some logging tools have filters so you only see what you're looking for, setting it to "verbose" means you see everything without filtering out anything you don't need :) – Kevin Apr 26 '16 at 06:51
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Stephan: Given verbose means more words than needed, I think overly verbose is not required, but I think it's quite common. My favourite annoyance is "very true"! – Jon Apr 26 '16 at 17:12
I totally agree with you. – Apr 26 '16 at 22:49

score 14 · Answer 3 · edited Jul 21 '22 at 14:12

14

Adding to other good suggestions, when someone uses too many (unnecessary) words for a simple description, the adjective wordy could be used which means:

Using or expressed in rather too many words: 'a wordy and repetitive account'
_{from Lexico.com}

Example: Is your resume too wordy? and Ways to Tighten the Too-Wordy Resume

edited Jul 21 '22 at 14:12

Hellion

59,365

answered Apr 25 '16 at 15:51

score 10 · Answer 4 · answered Apr 25 '16 at 20:41

10

Some great answers here.

In engineering we would say that the resume had a low signal to noise ratio. It's a fairly derogatory term for something or someone that is unnecessarily verbose.

answered Apr 25 '16 at 20:41

cdunn

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Signal to noise ratio is a very good answer. I like that! For some dumb reason I want a single word to work with on this. – Steven L Apr 25 '16 at 21:30
@Steven L How about saying "noisy", if you want a single word – ab2 Apr 26 '16 at 04:00
1

Why use one word when you can use 5 just as easily? – Apr 26 '16 at 22:50

score 8 · Answer 5 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

8

Such long-winded communication may be described as prolix. Here is the definition from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Full Definition of prolix

1: unduly prolonged or drawn out : too long

2: marked by or using an excess of words

Examples of prolix in a sentence

The speech was unnecessarily prolix.

< a person known for habitually transforming brief anecdotes into prolix sagas that exhaust their listeners >

The noun form of this word is prolixity. You could say for example that you disapprove of prolixity in resumes.

edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

Community

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answered Apr 25 '16 at 14:36

Araucaria - Him

47,146

I'm also looking for something that has a somewhat negative connotation. Where does prolix fall in line on that? – Steven L Apr 25 '16 at 21:27
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@StevenL, in my estimation it would generally fall into the "huh?" category; it is not a widely-used word and the average person probably doesn't know what it means. (If someone does know what it means, they would most likely take it as a negative comment.) – Hellion Apr 25 '16 at 21:57
2

@StevenL It definitely has a negative connotation. (That's why the dictionary definitions always have some word like unduly, too or excess in them). – Araucaria - Him Apr 26 '16 at 07:01
right, prolix is negative. but prolix is .. prolix. All you have to say is "your cv is far too long" – Fattie Apr 26 '16 at 19:34

score 5 · Answer 6 · answered Apr 25 '16 at 17:52

5

What you are referring to seem to be superfluous details.

answered Apr 25 '16 at 17:52

user169498

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score 4 · Answer 7 · answered Apr 25 '16 at 18:55

4

If you are looking for a noun, noise comes to mind:

irrelevant or meaningless data or output occurring along with desired information

(definition 2e from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noise)

answered Apr 25 '16 at 18:55

Jos

649

score 3 · Answer 8 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

3

As an alternative to long-winded you might consider bloated. Which may help to suggest that extra content was unnecessary, not simply inefficiently presented (if that is your desire).

excessive in size or amount.

"the company trimmed its bloated labor force"

edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

Community

1

answered Apr 25 '16 at 20:21

Zach

195

score 1 · Answer 9 · 2019-01-04T10:43:59.833

1

tautology- saying same thing over and over again by using synonyms. Similarly, superfluity, pleonasm, verbosity also convey the same.

Usage-

He uses a lot of words to show off his huge vocabulary realizing little that his tautology is irritating to others.

edited Jan 04 '19 at 10:43

answered Apr 25 '16 at 16:05

Verbiage is a great word! And it has a negative feeling, if not connotation, so you can use it without seeming overly, excessively, redundantly judgmental. – Apr 26 '16 at 22:53

score 1 · Answer 10 · answered Apr 25 '16 at 17:13

1

Obfuscation refers to too many details or levels of abstraction that obscure the real meaning. Obfuscation is often done purposely. Eschew obfuscation.

answered Apr 25 '16 at 17:13

Bry'AWN

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score 0 · Answer 11 · answered Apr 25 '16 at 15:47

lengthy descriptions. long-drawn-out descriptions. If there are too many words, I think the word lengthy works fine. For me, prolix and verbose and long-winded would not be used here as those words are about communications not descriptions per se.

Typically, in English a short description contrasts with a lengthy or long description.

score 0 · Answer 12 · answered Apr 26 '16 at 04:44

0

Discursive. It's an antonym for concise.

answered Apr 26 '16 at 04:44

Mach

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And it sounds a bit like 'curse'. – Apr 26 '16 at 22:53

tchrist · Answer 13 · 2017-07-15T22:19:21.127

On alieniloquent

^{(not to mention alieniloquently, alieniloquence, alieniloquacious, alieniloque, alieniloquize, alieniloquy, alieniloquial, alieniloquially, alieniloquist, alieniloquism, alieniloquacious, alieniloquaciously, et alios)}

Per Oxford Dictionaries Online, an alieniloquy is

an instance of straying from the subject one is supposed to be talking about; rambling of evasive talk.

Aliens are “others”, of course, so this is talking about other things if you would. It derives from

post-classical Latin alieniloquium allegory from classical Latin aliēnus + ‑loquium, after Hellenistic Greek ἀλληγορία.

Since all nouns ending in -iloquy have corresponding derived adjectives ending in ‑iloquent, the world you’re looking for is therefore necessarily alieniloquent — pronounced /ˌeɪlɪəˈnɪləkwənt/.

If that’s not quite the right part of speech, a great number of derivative terms can be similarly derived in a perfectly regular fashion. Unless of course you prefer a term a tad less...grandiloquent? :-)

What is a word to describe inefficient communication?

13 Answers13

On alieniloquent

Linked

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