owlism means affected or pretentious wisdom; pompous dullness; bombast. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “owlism” is a great word
OWLISM — [Noun] Affected or pretentious wisdom; the pompous performance of pseudo-intellectual solemnity. From owl (suggesting solemn or owlish wisdom) + -ism (forming nouns of action or condition). First attested in 1843 by Thomas Carlyle. Unlike pedantry, which fixates on the minutiae of formal learning, or bombast, which swells with empty, high-sounding language, owlism suggests a particular brand of dull, ponderous gravity adopted for show. It is the portentous clearing of a throat before a platitude, the slow, deliberate nod over a glass of mediocre sherry, and the hollow, oracular pronouncement on matters of plain fact—a solemn pantomime of intellect that mistakes its own feathers for wisdom.
Etymology
From owl + -ism.
noun
- Affected or pretentious wisdom; pompous dullness; bombast.“Their Owlisms, Vulturisms, to an incredible extent, will disappear by and by, their Heroisms only remaining, and the helmet be reduced to something like the size of the head, we hope!”
- Owlishness; pompous pseudo-intellectual nature or behavior.“If the happiness of men depended as much upon the efficiency of agencies for the "mental discipline" and "culture" of women as it does upon their housewifely ability, the owlism would have been punched out of a score of very respectable studies long ago.”
- The identification with and/or worship of owls.“The book discusses the habits and rituals of these people-owls and explores the nature of <<owlism>>, which exposes the archaic and occult roots of the 20th century totalitarian systems .”
- Night-owlism.“Her owlism and his larkism are mild forms of circadian-rhythm glitches known as delayed- and advanced- sleep phase syndromes.”