as in colloquial
used in or suitable for speech and not formal writing
writes essays in a very easy-to-read, vernacular style
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in idiom
Related Words
2
as in binomial
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of vernacular
Kathryn Romeyn, Architectural Digest, 9 Mar. 2026
That was the beginning of it and the Coens have a deep knowledge of American vernacular music.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 27 Feb. 2026
Wilder Davies, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Mar. 2026
Those songs could only have been sung by one person in the vernacular of that person.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vernacular
Adjective
The design once enjoyed by Javanese nobility references the sacred Javanese architectural vernacular style of saka guru, which represents the cardinal directions and has spiritual significance too.
—Kathryn Romeyn, Architectural Digest, 9 Mar. 2026
That was the beginning of it and the Coens have a deep knowledge of American vernacular music.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 27 Feb. 2026
Noun
And Via Carota’s sister restaurant the Commerce Inn speaks the same simple-yet-exquisite vernacular, with a an American Shaker accent, and does take reservations.
—Wilder Davies, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Mar. 2026
Those songs could only have been sung by one person in the vernacular of that person.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vernacular
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vernacular
Adjective
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Cicada’s disappearing routine Scientists who hunt for unusual Covid-19 variants waited to give this one a colloquial, or common, name.—
Brenda Goodman,
CNN Money,
2 Apr. 2026
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Literary works in colloquial Korean gained popularity, and new forms of cultural expression circulated widely.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And, as the idiom goes, steel sharpens steel.—
Kyle Eustice,
SPIN,
7 Apr. 2026
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An idiom is a phrase that is common to a certain population.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There was no third option in this binomial exercise.—
Chantel Jennings,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
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She is credited with naming and cataloging hundreds of native plants in the Hudson River Valley using Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus’ then-new binomial system of botanical nomenclature.—
Jessica Damiano,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Mar. 2024
Noun
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The exhibit’s title is derived from a Spanish colloquialism.—
Uwa Ede-Osifo,
Dallas Morning News,
13 Feb. 2026
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Her vetting crusades have brought about a new Washington colloquialism.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Even the name is a misnomer, Mackey said, since the same pain can arise among women who’ve had other procedures, including lumpectomies and lymph node surgeries.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
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Even the name is a misnomer, Mackey said, since the same pain can arise among women who’ve had other procedures, including lumpectomies and lymph node surgeries.—
Brett Kelman,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But in modern English parlance, mantra has come to mean a person or group’s representative phrase, similar to a slogan or a watchword.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
31 Mar. 2026
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In military parlance, this usually translates to one attack on a specific target that might involve multiple weapons.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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On that front, Eli Lilly’s pill, sold under the brand name Foundayo, is especially notable.—
Nicholas Florko,
The Atlantic,
11 Apr. 2026
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Eli Lilly, the makers of Zepbound, gained FDA approval for its drug orforglipron, sold under the brand name Foundayo, on April 1, 2026, following Novo Nordisk, which received approval for the Wegovy pill in December 2025.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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To qualify as critical regionalism, contemporary architecture had to use traditional tropes and local materials in unfamiliar variations, refuse to treat a site as just another blank slate, and use structure in an expressive way, visibly connected to a building’s purpose.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
28 Jan. 2026
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Just don’t let the deniers know that regionalism and sustainability are essentially one and the same.—
Richard Olsen,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vernacular.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vernacular. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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