Verb for replacing common words with unnecessary jargon?

Question

Some people like to exchange common words for unnecessarily technical jargon. For example,

Your friend: I partook in ornithological observation

You: You mean you went birdwatching?

Is there a word for what your friend here is doing?

That is, if you asked your friend to stop _______ing, you would be asking them to stop using convoluted wording for no reason.

EDIT: I'm not referring here to the amount of detail, only to the unnecessary substitution of jargon into an otherwise straightforward sentence.

It would be ironic if the name for this action was itself overly technical! — Mahkoe, Feb 05 '19 at 16:40
The popular verb from the question I marked this a duplicate of is expatiate. — Jason Bassford, Feb 05 '19 at 17:19
@JasonBassford I would say, based on the example, it isn't a case of too much detail. More a case of picking the most obscure synonyms possible without adding any more important information. — JMac, Feb 05 '19 at 20:09
It's a bit slangy, but how about using highfalutin' words? (If you're looking for a "lowfalutin'" word to describe it...) — Darrel Hoffman, Feb 05 '19 at 20:09
Richard Lanham used the word Skotison! to mean purposeful obscurity. http://rhetoric.byu.edu/Figures/S/skotison.htm — TaliesinMerlin, Feb 05 '19 at 22:10
Once again mods mark a question as duplicate without understanding the distinction between this question and those. A popular activity on Stack Exchange... — PhysicalEd, Feb 06 '19 at 15:18

Zebrafish · Accepted Answer · 2019-02-05T18:24:46.203

jargonize

v.intr.
To talk or write jargon
American Heritage Dictionary

2.(intr)
to talk in jargon
Collins Dictionary

intransitive verb
to speak or write jargon
Merriam-Webster Dictionary

1.to talk or write jargon or a jargon.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary

The definitions I've given are the intransitive versions of the verb, which seems to fit your sentence. These dictionaries all have transitive definitions as well, which go something like:

2.to render as jargon; translate into jargon.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary
1 : to make into jargon
2 : to express in jargon
Merriam-Webster Dictionary

I would say "jargonize" itself isn't a very common word, so you may be jargonizing in using it, or maybe not, I don't know. Really nothing is done to the word "jargon" other than adding a very familiar suffixal morpheme to it. We do it all the time, often spontaneously.

You can also find the term dejargonize, sometimes hyphenated, though this isn't found in dictionaries. Well, unless you want to include Wiktionary in the count.

dejargonize
1.(transitive) To free from obscure technical language.
Wiktionary

score 7 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 05 '19 at 20:33

7

Obfuscate - verb: render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible

This one seems close

answered Feb 05 '19 at 20:33

user335087

71

Is "render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible" your own personal definition, or have you taken it from an authoritative source? If the latter, please [edit] your post to indicate it's not your own words (e.g. add quotation marks), acknowledge the source and preferably add a link. For further guidance, see [answer] and take the EL&U [Tour] :-) – Chappo Hasn't Forgotten Feb 06 '19 at 23:33

score 6 · Answer 3 · answered Feb 05 '19 at 21:57

I have an adjective. You might ask your friend to "stop being altiloquent".

"adjective Archaic. (of language) high-flown or pretentious."

I remembered it from the word of the day a couple of weeks ago:

https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/altiloquent-2019-01-20/

score 4 · Answer 4 · answered Feb 05 '19 at 21:34

You should ask your friend to stop using big words and start speaking ordinary language. Here's how the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines this expression:

a difficult word used to try to impress someone

Example sentence:

You don't need to use big words to make your point.

score 3 · Answer 5 · answered Feb 05 '19 at 16:48

3

There are numerous words that aren't verbs that describe this speech.

Adjectives that come to mind include bombastic, grandiloquent, pompous. Those words can be turned into verbs (bombasticize, grandiloquize, pomp), but as you've said in the comments, in doing so, you yourself would be grandiloquizing.

A plainer request might use a noun form: Enough with the bombast/grandiloquence/pomposity!

answered Feb 05 '19 at 16:48

Juhasz

7,503

I have seen "bombast" itself used as a verb, in a contemporary review of Shakespear. – K.A.Monica Feb 05 '19 at 23:08

score 0 · Answer 6 · answered Feb 06 '19 at 05:19

0

The sophists did this in antiquity. That is the origin of the word "sophisticated". Its meaning has changed but the old meaning could be useful here. "please do not use sophisticated language"

answered Feb 06 '19 at 05:19

Hugh Stevenson

1

Verb for replacing common words with unnecessary jargon?

6 Answers6

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