verbolatry
/vərˈbɑlətri/
noun
- Excessive or blind worship of words; an extreme reverence for language or verbal expression.
- His verbolatry made him argue over every tiny word choice, even in casual conversation.
- The critic accused the poet of verbolatry, valuing sound over meaning.
- Some scholars warn that verbolatry can lead to ignoring the ideas behind the words.