didactic
Intended to teach or instruct, sometimes excessively so
Examples
In a meeting
“The training video was too didactic—we need something more engaging.”
Over coffee
“I appreciate the advice, but the tone felt a bit didactic.”
Why this word
educational
didactic specifically means intended to teach or instruct, often with moral lessons, while educational is more general
instructive
didactic implies a deliberate teaching purpose and sometimes lecturing tone, while instructive is milder
preachy
didactic is more formal and neutral, while preachy has negative connotations of being overly moralistic
Usage tip
Can be neutral (educational) or mildly critical (preachy), depending on context
Etymology
Greek 'didaktikos' (skillful in teaching), from 'didaskein' (to teach)
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Related words
broach
To bring up or introduce a topic for discussion
concise
Giving a lot of information clearly in few words.
ambiguous
Open to more than one interpretation; not clear or decided.
convey
To communicate or make an idea, feeling, or meaning known.
reiterate
To say something again for emphasis or clarity.
paraphrase
To restate something in different words to make it clearer or shorter.