Ten-Dollar Word

Meaning of Idiom ‘Ten-Dollar Word’

A ten-dollar word is an uncommon, difficult, or word that is used in lieu of a simpler, more common word in an effort to sound more intelligent or important; a big and pretentious word.

Examples

“He’s just trying to obfuscate and befuddle you with a bunch of ten-dollar words. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“You should teach them English, instead of forcing them to memorize a bunch of ten-dollar words that nobody uses. This is not advanced writing for politicians and social scientists.”

“I know what arduous means but why use a ten-dollar word like that? You could have just said difficult or hard.”

Origin

Assigning a monetary value to important or pretentious words is nothing new, but I was unable to track down any precise dates or origins.