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I'm looking for an adjective that would mean essentially the equivalent to the meaning some might ascribe to the made up word "vocabularic." Is there a word that means "of or applying to vocabulary?"

For example: "I hope this utilitarian endowment proves itself by aiding in the construction of constructs and the eschewing of [vocabularic] obfuscation."

I realize this word is found in some dictionaries, such Wiktionary, but I was wondering if a more general, scholarly, or accepted word is commonly used.

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    I think the eschewing of vocabularic obfuscation is a fabulous autological term!
    – bib
    Jul 10, 2015 at 20:11
  • @bib: That comment was the most obfuscated sarcasm I've ever read.
    – Tushar Raj
    Jul 10, 2015 at 20:18
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    OED says adjectival vocabulary (Of or pertaining to words; composed of, or concerned with, words) is "rare". But they don't say that of vocabular (Of, pertaining to, or concerning words). Sadly for @bib, they don't actually list vocabularic at all. Jul 10, 2015 at 20:40
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    In the example you give I would simply use verbal.
    – WS2
    Jul 10, 2015 at 21:01

3 Answers 3

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lexical

Relating to the words or vocabulary of a language (Oxford)

...eschewing of lexical obfuscation

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  • I actually meant that the entire sentence I made as an example refers to a dictionary being given as a gift.
    – intcreator
    Jul 10, 2015 at 20:11
  • @brandaemon: See edit
    – Tushar Raj
    Jul 10, 2015 at 20:17
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    @brandaemon- I’d think that such a gift would tend to encourage sesquipedalianism.
    – Jim
    Jul 10, 2015 at 20:24
  • This answer most applies to vocabulary itself.
    – intcreator
    Jul 11, 2015 at 1:26
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dictional is the adjective form of diction, which means choice of words, especially with regard to correctness, clearness or effectiveness (Merriam Webster).

So...

We eschew dictional obfuscation.

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  • I'm looking more for something that applies to words themselves rather than which words to use
    – intcreator
    Jul 11, 2015 at 1:27
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Rewritten example: "I hope this utilitarian endowment proves itself by aiding in the construction of constructs and the eschewing of semantic obfuscation."

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  • Semantics has more to do with language and structure rather than words and definitions
    – intcreator
    Jul 11, 2015 at 1:26
  • @brandaemon I don't know why you say that, semantics specifically pertains to meaning. It should not be confused with "linguistic" or "syntactic".
    – Val Kornea
    Jul 11, 2015 at 1:33

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