Jargonesque

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having the character of specialized jargon, with convoluted or pretentious technical phrasing that obscures meaning
2. Sounding like the dense, insider terminology of a profession, full of buzzwords that are hard for outsiders to follow
3. Marked by the stilted, jargon-heavy style typical of specialist language, often used to sound impressive rather than clear

Etymology: Jargonesque is a plain English formation: the noun "jargon" with the suffix "-esque," which attaches to a name or noun to mean "in the manner of" or "resembling" it, as in "Kafkaesque" or "picturesque." Put together, it describes writing or speech that has the feel of specialist jargon, often impenetrable or pompous, without necessarily being technical at all. The word sits in a small family. Its near-twin "jargonish" was built from the same noun with the native "-ish" ending, and the two arrived in English as separate, parallel formations rather than one growing from the other. Linguists call such pairs "piecewise doublets," because each piece of the word was matched with a different suffix at a different time. The result is two words that mean nearly the same thing but have different textures: "-esque" tends to sound more literary and deliberate, while "-ish" sounds casual.

Synonyms: jargon-like