Both Uses of
sententious
in
Crime and Punishment, by Dostoyevsky
- "Except them, there's everything to be found, my boy," the elder declared sententiously.†
Chpt 2.6 *
- "Love for the future partner of your life, for your husband, ought to outweigh your love for your brother," he pronounced sententiously, "and in any case I cannot be put on the same level....Although I said so emphatically that I would not speak openly in your brother's presence, nevertheless, I intend now to ask your honoured mother for a necessary explanation on a point of great importance closely affecting my dignity.†
Chpt 4.2
Definition:
annoying attempt to sound smart or important
or more rarely (and typically in classic literature):
expressing wisdom or knowledge concisely
or more rarely (and typically in classic literature):
expressing wisdom or knowledge concisely