Vonnegutian

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characteristic of the darkly comic, satirical and humane writing style associated with the American novelist Kurt Vonnegut
2. Having the absurdist humor, science fiction touches and anti-war outlook typical of the author Kurt Vonnegut
3. Relating to the wry, bleakly funny storytelling and moral skepticism for which the novelist Kurt Vonnegut is known

Etymology: Kurt Vonnegut, the American novelist behind "Slaughterhouse-Five" and "Cat's Cradle," was known for a darkly comic, fragmented style that treated war, technology and human folly with a deadpan shrug. Readers and critics needed a shorthand for that tone, and "Vonnegutian" is the adjective they settled on: it describes anything that resembles his work, whether a novel, a joke or a situation. The word is a straightforward formation. It takes the surname "Vonnegut" and adds the suffix "-ian," the same ending found in "Shakespearean," "Darwinian" and "Mozartian," which turns a person's name into an adjective meaning "in the manner of" that person. The pattern is an old and productive one in English, so the coinage needs no special story beyond the writer himself.