stilted

Adjective Satellite

• artificially formal
  • "a stilted letter of acknowledgment"
  • "when people try to correct their speech they develop a stilted pronunciation"

Adj

• Making use of or possessing a stilt or stilts, or things resembling stilts; raised on stilts.
• Elevated or raised in a contrived or unnatural way; stiff and artificially formal or pompous; also, depending on redundant, unnecessary elements.
• Of a building or architectural feature such as an arch or vault: supported by stilts (“supporting pillars or posts”); also (generally) having the main part raised above the usual level by some structure.

Verb

• simple past and past participle of stilt

Examples

• "He gave a stilted bow and left."

Synonyms

affected, artificial, awkward, contrived, effete, fey, hoity-toity, hokey, laboured, overrefined, pansified, precious, pretentious, recherché, smug, stagy, stilted, theatrical, Woosterian

Antonyms

humble, natural, unstilted