ten-cent word
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
A word used to impress others with one's vocabulary
Literally: a word costing ten cents
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
He used a ten-cent word in his essay to sound smarter
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “ten-cent word” mean?
A word used to impress others with one's vocabulary Literally: a word costing ten cents
Is “ten-cent word” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.