délaboré

Délaboré is a French adjective meaning over-elaborated or excessively detailed and ornate. It is used to describe things—such as text, design, arguments, or culinary presentations—that have become unnecessarily complex or showy, sometimes at the expense of clarity or simplicity. The term typically carries a critical or negative connotation, signaling that excess detail or decoration detracts from the intended effect.

In usage, délaboré can refer to prose or rhetoric that relies on long phrases, excessive ornaments, or superfluous detail. It can also describe artistic, architectural, or culinary works where embellishment or intricacy overwhelms straightforward understanding or taste. The word is more common in literary criticism, journalism, and design commentary than in everyday speech.

Examples:

- Le texte était délaboré, truffé de périphrases qui rendaient le propos difficile à suivre.

- Le plat semblait délaboré, avec trop d’assaisonnements et de garnitures qui masquaient les saveurs centrales.

Related terms include élaboré (elaborate), surchargé (overloaded), and florid or ornate in English. Délaboré appears as a stylistic judgment rather than a neutral descriptor and is often balanced with simpler alternatives when clarity is desired.