stilted

adjective
UK: /ˈstɪltɪd/
US: /ˈstɪltɪd/

  1. Speaking or writing in a way that is too formal and unnatural.

    1. His stilted language made it hard to understand him.
    2. The dialogue sounded stilted, as if the actors were reading from cue cards, not feeling the emotion.

  2. Artificially formal, stiff, or pompous in manner.

    1. The party had a stilted atmosphere, everyone was too polite.
    2. His stilted behavior at the funeral made everyone uncomfortable during the solemn event.

Synonyms

stiff affected forced pompous unnatural formal artificial

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "stilted" in English means: Speaking or writing in a way that is too formal and unnatural., Artificially formal, stiff, or pompous in manner..

The phonetic transcription of "stilted" is /ˈstɪltɪd/ in British English and /ˈstɪltɪd/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "stilted": stiff, affected, forced, pompous, unnatural, formal, artificial.

Example usage of "stilted": "His stilted language made it hard to understand him.". More examples on the page.