sententious \Sen*ten"tious\, a.[L. sentenciosus: cf. F. sentencieux.] 1. Abounding with sentences, axioms, and maxims; full of meaning; terse and energetic in expression; pithy; as, a sententious style or discourse; sententious truth.
How he apes his sire, Ambitiously sententious! --Addison.
2. Comprising or representing sentences; sentential. [Obs.] ``Sententious marks.'' --Grew. --- Sen*ten\"tious*ly, adv. -- Sen*ten\"tious*ness, n.
adj: containing, using or inclined to use high sounding phrases or pompous, moralizing language
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Nowadays "sententious" is usually uncomplimentary, implying banality, oversimplification, and excessive moralizing. But that hasn't always been the case, nor is it universally so even now. The Middle English "sententious" meant "full of meaning", a sense adopted from Latin sentiosus (from sententia, meaning "sentence" or "maxim"). In Modern English, too, "sententious" has sometimes referred to what is full of significance and expressed tersely ("Clarity is gained by a brief and almost sententious statement..." -- Selected Writings of Benjamin N. Cardazo). It can also suggest an affinity for aphorisms, as when it refers to the likes of Ben Franklin's Poor Richard (of almanac fame), a homespun philosopher given to statements such as "eary to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."