Phrased

Phrased is the past tense and past participle of the verb phrase, meaning to express something in particular words or to formulate in a specific way. In ordinary usage, one might say, for example, “The spokesperson phrased the policy announcement carefully.” As an adjective, phrased describes wording or construction, as in “a well-phrased apology” or “a poorly phrased sentence.”

Etymology and linguistic background: The noun phrase originates from Old French phrase, from Latin phrasis and Greek phrasis, with the English verb to phrase meaning to express in words. The past tense form phrased then enters English as the standard way to indicate that an utterance was expressed in a certain way. In linguistics, phrase and phrasing refer to units and groupings within language; phrasing can also describe how speech is organized prosodically, which may influence how something is phrased or interpreted.

Usage notes: Phrased often implies intentional or careful wording, sometimes with nuance or hedging. It commonly collocates with adverbs such as carefully, clearly, politely, or ambiguously. The phrase “how something is phrased” highlights that wording can affect interpretation. Phrased contrasts with rephrase, which means to express the same idea anew in different words.

See also: phrase, phrasing, rephrase, paraphrase, wording.