breedvoerig

Breedvoerig is a Dutch adjective used to describe language that is unnecessarily long, detailed, and sometimes repetitive, which can obscure the main point. It is commonly applied to written texts and spoken discourse that extend beyond what is needed to convey the message, often including excessive background information or digressions.

In usage, breedvoerig tends to carry a negative connotation. Editors, journalists, and academics may point to breedvoerig passages as examples to trim for clarity and readability. The term is suitable for criticizing style, not for praising it, and it can appear in discussions about rhetoric, journalism, and scholarly writing. A breedvoerig passage might start with broad context and then proceed through multiple paragraphs of background before stating the core conclusion.

Etymology and related terms: The word is a compound of breed (wide, broad) and a suffix indicating fullness, roughly capturing the sense of “full of broad details.” Related Dutch terms include langdradig (long-winded) as a more direct critique of excess length, while beknopt and kernachtig describe conciseness and brevity as desirable alternatives. The concept shares a goal with style guides: to avoid unnecessary verbosity and improve clarity.

Examples: A breedvoerig sentence might lay out extensive background and multiple examples before presenting the main claim. A concise rewrite would state the claim upfront and provide only essential support.