stilted

[stil-tid] / ˈstɪl tɪd /

ADJECTIVE

artificial, pretentious

Synonyms

STRONGEST

formal labored overblown pompous sonorous

WEAK

affected angular aureate bombastic constrained decorous egotistic euphuistic flowery forced genteel grandiloquent high-flown high-sounding inflated magniloquent mincing pedantic prim rhetorical stiff unnatural wooden

Antonyms

STRONGEST

relaxed

WEAK

genuine honest true

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He quickly abandoned his notes after being criticised for sounding stilted, and started speaking "from the heart", he told me in an interview earlier this year.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Her melodramatic sorrow at her stilted relationship with Alexis is palpable even as she mourns her daughter’s unwillingness to join her on a wine tasting tour in France . . . when Alexis was seven.

From Salon • Feb. 4, 2026

We held stilted conversation the rest of the drive back to L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2026

Never-campers might opt for Sediba Sa Rona, which opens the same month with stilted suites overlooking the Khwai River.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 20, 2025

Then she slowly stood and stumbled forward, her steps so stilted it was almost as if she couldn’t remember how to walk.

From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin

Vocabulary lists containing stilted

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