Purple Prose | Definition & Examples

Purple prose is a term used to describe writing that is excessively flowery in its style. It is prose that draws attention to itself by its stylistic excesses to the extent that they get in the way of the meaning.

Purple prose is characterized by an overuse of verbose sentences, flowery vocabulary, and uncalled-for adjectives and adverbs. Occasionally an author might use purple prose for effect; it is generally seen as poor writing that should be avoided.

What is purple prose?

The Roman poet Horace coined the term purple prose in his Ars Poetica (The Art of Poetry). In Roman times, purple was a very expensive dye, and only the wealthiest could afford it. Sometimes people would try to “glam-up” cheaper clothes with patches of purple, which Horace decided was the equivalent of ostentatious prose.

Purple prose is, therefore, a negative description with a pejorative meaning. If used for effect, for example, portraying a character as pretentious or superficial, then there is no problem. But in general, purple prose is more style than substance and is best avoided.

Purple prose characteristics

Typically, purple prose will contain one or more of these elements:

• Melodramatic tone. With the aim of eliciting an emotional response from the reader, the author uses excessively emotive language. This usually involves overstating the seriousness or importance of a situation.
• Overly elaborate descriptions. Sometimes, the best descriptive writing is quite sparse, allowing the reader to imagine and fill in the blanks. This is not the case with purple prose, where the description is often too full and uses too many elaborate words and phrases.
• Excessive use of figurative language. Figures of speech, such as metaphors, similes, and hyperbole, all have their place in descriptive writing, but in purple prose, they are used to excess.
• Pretentious or arcane vocabulary. A teacher once declared that he would “eschew the proffered blandishments” instead of saying he couldn’t be “bought” by being offered inducements. His purple prose here was deliberate and for comic effect.
• Overly complex sentences. There is nothing inherently wrong with long, even complex, sentences. But purple prose is often victim to excessive use of them or has sentences that become self-defeating because the reader has no chance of untangling the meaning.

Purple Prose examples

In his autobiography, Moab is My Washpot, Stephen Fry tries to recreate the spiel of a fairground huckster, and the result is a deliberate example of purple prose.

Purple prose can be quite subjective, with one person delighting in rich imagery and another decrying the excesses of language. One such example is this extract from D. H. Lawrence’s The Rainbow.

Frequently asked questions about purple prose

What is flowery language?

Flowery language is used to describe language that is overly ornate or too intricate, like a large bouquet of flowers (e.g., “Your elongated politeness is both charmingly, disingenuously disarming, yet at the same time, somewhat oleaginous and unsettling”).

Flowery language (sometimes called purple prose) is not necessarily a negative thing, but the phrase might be used as a criticism in certain circumstances. It is at its most useful when used to help add depth to a character by showing a particular, flowery way of speaking, or to make a description especially sumptuous.

You can use the Scribbr Paraphrasing Tool to help you avoid language that is too flowery or indirect.

What does florid mean?

Florid means “excessively flowery or ornate” when applied to language. It is used to criticize someone’s style, by suggesting it uses too many words, too much complex vocabulary or syntax, and is unnecessarily obtuse.

Writers might use florid language to help portray a character as ostentatious, or to set a particularly grandiose mood. This is sometimes referred to as purple prose.

In general, though, writers should avoid florid language wherever possible.