stilted

adjective stilt·ed \ ˈstil-təd \

Updated on: 1 Dec 2017

Definition of stilted

1 a : pompous, lofty

b : formal, stiff

2 : having the curve beginning at some distance above the impost

a stilted arch

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stiltedly

adverb

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stiltedness

noun

See stilted defined for English-language learners

See stilted defined for kids

Examples of stilted in a Sentence

the conversation was somewhat stilted as we didn't seem to share any interests
a stilted letter of apology that was written and accepted with equal measures of insincerity

Recent Examples of stilted from the Web

The first three of the nine pieces are borderline incomprehensible, their scripts seemingly intentionally obscure, and the stilted choreography fails to illuminate the dramatic action.

— Chicago Reader, "Arnie the Doughnut, Tangles and Plaques, and 11 more new stage shows to see," 25 Oct. 2017
There are some moments when the show’s writing is stilted, particularly in scenes between Ford and his sociology student girlfriend, Debbie (Hannah Gross).

— richard lawson, vanityfair.com, "Mindhunter Review: An Appealingly Repulsing Serial Killer Study," 17 Oct. 2017
There are some moments when the show’s writing is stilted, particularly in scenes between Ford and his sociology student girlfriend, Debbie (Hannah Gross).

— richard lawson, HWD, "Mindhunter Review: An Appealingly Repulsing Serial Killer Study," 17 Oct. 2017
The Heart of Texas Facebook page is full of stilted, ungrammatical English.

— tim lister and clare sebastian, CNN, "Stoking Islamophobia and secession in Texas -- from an office in Russia," 5 Oct. 2017
That laborious process ensured the interviews never came off as stilted, or the subjects came off as painfully self-aware.

— matt giles, Longreads, "The Genius of the Playboy Interview," 29 Sep. 2017
What Happened suffers from stilted prose and insipid inspirational quotes, but that is par for the course for a political memoir.

— sarah jones, New Republic, "Hillary Clinton Doesn’t Get It," 13 Sep. 2017
Drought in Ethiopia's lowlands bordering Somalia has sent herders farther afield in their search for land where their animals can graze, and stilted crops in areas where corn stalks grow tall but produce no ears of edible corn.

— carol morello, Washington Post, "United States gives Ethiopia $91 million in drought aid for food and medicine," 31 Aug. 2017
Although the hyperbolic volley of insults between the U.S. and North Korea leaders has been at times comical — the stilted North Korean rhetoric is easy to ridicule — the exchange is setting nerves on edge.

— barbara demick, latimes.com, "North Korea foreign minister says Trump's insults make rocket attack on U.S. 'inevitable all the more'," 23 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stilted.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.