What do you call using unnecessarily complicated vocabulary?

[Glizdka]

"Quidquid latine dictum sit altum videtur" is probably my favorite saying in Latin; it means "Whatever you say in Latin sounds profound".

I'm looking for a word or phrase that would describe uncalled-for use of confusing, technical, or foreign words to gain credibility and make yourself sound smart, like a professional, or make a thing sound highly advanced or complicated.

I'm talking about how a company produces a skincare cream with a huge "With formula X and coenzyme Q100!!!" on its packaging. Or how superheroes gain their superpowers because they were exposed to "alphabetaous rays produced by a quark-gluon magnetifier". Or how it's common for corporations and scientists to use words from another language for technical terms even though their native language already has words that cover it, and they don't need to do it at all.

Back when I was in college, my professors rather frequently used English words believing they were being technical. When they asked the class if anyone knew the term, I got extra points for answering. The professors were convinced I was a particularly diligent student, but the truth is that I just could speak English and was able to figure out what these words might mean only because of that.

I know science woo and buzzword, but they're not exactly what I'm looking for. I figured you might know what I'm talking about and help me find something I could use, do you?

 

[kilroy65]

How about "grandiloquent"?

"Grandiloquent language or behaviour is very formal, literary, or exaggerated, and is used by people when they want to seem important."

[formal, disapproval] She attacked her colleagues for indulging in 'grandiose and grandiloquent language'.

(Collins)

 

[Glizdka]

I love it!

 

[probus]

In American English we sometimes say "Five dollar word." I think it used to be "Fifty cent word" but such are the ravages of inflation.

 

[slevlife]

More options: labyrinthine, convoluted, unnecessarily/needlessly complicated, pretentious, convoluted, anfractuous, sesquipedalian, gobbledygook, jargon, esotericism, obfuscation.

 

[SoothingDave]

"Elevated diction"

 

[Glizdka]

I should've pointed out I was looking for something with negative connotations. Elevated diction sounds more like something with rather neutral if not positive connotations. Am I right?

Thank you for your numerous suggestions, slevlife (one even appeared twice!). Most of them are too "vanilla"—I'm looking for something specific—but you've definitely given me a few words that'll expand my vocabulary.

I don't think gobbledygook and esotericism are what I'm looking for in this particular case, but I'll definitely remember them. They look like perfect words for describing this mess of a presentation.

Esotericism feels like it doesn't have strictly negative connotations. Am I right?

I think grandiloquent is exactly what I'm looking for.

 

[GeneD]

When I looked up 'grandiloquent' in a dictionary to know how to pronounce it correctly, the dictionary suggested a synonym that might have a similar meaning:

pompous (disapproving)
showing that you think you are more important than other people, especially by using long and formal words

His speech sounded very pompous and self-congratulatory.

Though it doesn't seem to beat 'grandiloquent', which is grand and eloquent at the same time.

NOT A TEACHER

 

[slevlife]

pompous (disapproving)
showing that you think you are more important than other people, especially by using long and formal words

His speech sounded very pompous and self-congratulatory.

I see you found this definition in Oxford Learner's Dictionaries. The "especially by using long and formal words" clause is a strange addition to the definition that I don't see matched by any other dictionary I looked up, including Dictionary.com, Merriam-Webster, Cambridge Learner's Dictionary, or Google's English Dictionary (which is provided by Oxford Languages).

On its own, "pompous" usually doesn't have a direct connection to using long and formal words. To get that meaning, it would be much better to connect the word directly to speech/writing with something like "pompous language", "pompous speech", "pompous rhetoric". Even the example sentence given, "His speech sounded very pompous and self-congratulatory", doesn't support the clause. To me it reads as something like "the speaker sounded full of himself and thought he was better than everyone else present". So yeah, "pompous" has the useful quality of being very disapproving/negative, but without the right adverbs or other clarification, there's no particular reason to assume someone's pompousness comes from their complicated/confusing/impenetrable language. Instead I'd be more likely to assume their behavior, attitude, tone, or something else about them was pompous.

At least in American English you might hear the phrase "What a pompous ass!" or "He's such a pompous ass!"

 

[slevlife]

I should've pointed out I was looking for something with negative connotations. Elevated diction sounds more like something with rather neutral if not positive connotations. Am I right?

On its face, this (uncommon but understandable) phrase has a positive connotation. But it's over the top, and therefore seems more likely to be used to convey sarcasm, or used as a humorous way to convey that the speaker was trying to sound smart but actually came across as a bit pompous. Study.com says "Elevated diction refers to using highly sophisticated words when not necessary. Typically, elevated diction means saying more than is needed."

I don't think gobbledygook and esotericism are what I'm looking for in this particular case, but I'll definitely remember them. They look like perfect words for describing this mess of a presentation.

Esotericism feels like it doesn't have strictly negative connotations. Am I right?

Yes, esotericism is neutral, but it could easily turn a bit negative if framed as being too frequent or out of place. Note that, unlike "gobbledygook", it refers to a specific word or phrase. But you could say something "His speech was filled with esotericisms."

Caution: It's a bit of a 5 dollar word (to use probus's phrase), as were several of my other suggestions (labyrinthine, anfractuous, sesquipedalian).

Gobbledygook is the opposite. It's negative, humorous, and also a "common people's" word that all native speakers will understand. These are all qualities shared by similar terms "mumbo jumbo" and "gibberish".

Also, the presentation you linked to is funny. To make fun of it, gobbledygook is a very appropriate word, or to be more neutral you could say it's filled with technical jargon.

I think grandiloquent is exactly what I'm looking for.

It's a good word. Uncommon but probably understandable by most people from it's form. However, note that people who are not familiar with the word are likely to think it has a positive connotation unless you frame it with the right context, since the word sounds like a combination of "grand" and "eloquent" which are both positive.