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diffuse

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective diffuse differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of diffuse are prolix, verbose, and wordy. While all these words mean "using more words than necessary to express thought," diffuse stresses lack of compactness and pointedness of style.

diffuse memoirs that are so many shaggy-dog stories

When would prolix be a good substitute for diffuse?

The meanings of prolix and diffuse largely overlap; however, prolix suggests unreasonable and tedious dwelling on details.

habitually transformed brief anecdotes into prolix sagas

When is verbose a more appropriate choice than diffuse?

While the synonyms verbose and diffuse are close in meaning, verbose suggests a resulting dullness, obscurity, or lack of incisiveness or precision.

the verbose position papers

Where would wordy be a reasonable alternative to diffuse?

Although the words wordy and diffuse have much in common, wordy may also imply loquaciousness or garrulity.

a wordy speech

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of diffuse
Adjective
After diffusing, my hair had no cast at all and was quite soft. Malia Griggs, Glamour, 23 June 2025 Younger voters are inheriting a global environment that is far more multipolar, fragmented, and ideologically diffuse than the Cold War framework their textbooks still teach. Nuri Kino, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025
Verb
The red regions toward the top of this image are areas where dust clouds are relatively diffuse. Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2022 Dragonfly 44 and its ilk are known as ultra-diffuse galaxies (UDGs). Lyndie Chiou, Quanta Magazine, 7 Nov. 2022 See All Example Sentences for diffuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for diffuse
Adjective
  • Refine your key points to be clear and concise—no rambling monologues.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
  • In the early morning hours of Dec. 26, 1996, Patsy Ramsey called 911 to report her 6-year-old daughter JonBenét missing, and found a rambling ransom note left inside their Boulder, Colorado, home.
    Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Trump wants to disperse GOP voters across the state to help flip blue seats, rather then have them be consolidated in red districts.
    Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 21 July 2025
  • Agents used tear gas to disperse protesters, and one person died after falling from a roof during the raid.
    Miriam Waldvogel, The Hill, 19 July 2025
Adjective
  • Teenage emotions are unpredictable and often exaggerated, so the end of a boy band who had consumed so much of my mind for so long was devastating.
    Sam Woodward, USA Today, 23 July 2025
  • Israel says its forces have only fired warning shots and that the death toll is exaggerated.
    Wafaa Shurafa, Chicago Tribune, 23 July 2025
Verb
  • The detectives did, however, dispel some rumors that persisted throughout the case.
    Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 23 July 2025
  • Babitz is often contrasted with her frenemy Joan Didion—Babitz was cast in the popular imagination as the fun, ditzy sexpot, as opposed to Didion’s cool, cold-blooded stenographer—but the maturity and thoughtfulness of these stories dispel any lazy stereotypes.
    The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 23 July 2025
Adjective
  • Cunningham has a bubbly, infectious and talkative personality that pairs perfectly with her chic style.
    Kaycee Sloan, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
  • Emily soon bonds with the talkative rebel, and their connection eventually blossoms into a full-on romance.
    James Mercadante, EW.com, 8 June 2025
Verb
  • Heat dome could linger for two weeks The heat dome won't dissipate soon.
    John Bacon, USA Today, 24 July 2025
  • The heat will dissipate after Thursday, but it’s expected to return next week, with nearly two-thirds of the eastern U.S. facing warmer than normal temperatures.
    Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 17 July 2025
Adjective
  • Which domains are operationally critical and which are purely communicative?
    Daniel Strauss, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
  • Geminis are social, communicative, and witty, so give your child a name that can keep up!
    Kara Nesvig, Parents, 17 June 2025
Verb
  • Nara's more recent paintings, such as Midnight Tears (2023), feature tender, fragmented brushwork that radiates introspection.
    Lee Sharrock, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
  • Their vocal harmonies intertwine easily over a textured arrangement of keys, bass, drums, and guitars, creating an uplifting summer anthem that radiates sincerity and charm.
    Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 21 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Diffuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/diffuse. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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