vernacular 1 of 2

adjective

vər-ˈna-kyə-lər How to pronounce vernacular (audio)
Definition of vernacularnext
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

vernacular

2 of 2

noun

1
as in idiom

Related Words
2
as in binomial

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of vernacular
Adjective
Compiled in 1964 by Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman, this four-LP, 83-track box set was intended as an accessible survey of the roots and branches of American vernacular music. — Ted Olson, The Conversation, 2 July 2026 Rote’s vernacular traditions shine through in the lontar-leaf roofs and ikat fabrics incorporated into pillows, beds, and artwork. — Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 2 July 2026
Noun
At the same time, on a remote mountain in New Zealand, a little girl was running similar experiments, sublimating the language of cartoons into a supple personal vernacular. — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026 Although the vernacular of prog rock has been an important part of Mastodon’s sound for the past 20 years, the group’s adventurous soloing comes even more to the fore on Marrow Deep. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vernacular
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vernacular
  1. colloquial
  2. idiom
  3. binomial
  4. colloquialism
  5. misnomer
  6. parlance
  7. brand name
  8. regionalism
Adjective
  • That’s the colloquial name for the Salkin House, an 1,100-square-foot dwelling perched on a hillside lot, built for violist Jules Salkin in 1948 by John Lautner, the famed midcentury modern architect.
    — Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The theme uses a colloquial phrase almost like a mathematical function.
    — Sam Corbin, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of colloquial
Noun
  • The first Velvet Underground album, the mid-period Beatles, Kinks, and Creedence Clearwater Revival records, with enough time, seem almost like different components to the same idiom.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Cinema is, after all, a language, and Belgian filmmakers come from a country built on the need to understand language as a bridge—between its regions, its people, and its idioms.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of idiom
Noun
  • Whatever its origin story, it might be argued that as the shortest binomial composed entirely of vowels, Ia io gives scientists reason enough to shout hurrah.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
  • 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
Definition of binomial
Noun
  • Her vetting crusades have brought about a new Washington colloquialism.
    — Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
  • The show chugged along nonetheless, gradually attracting fans who adored its stark cinematography and weirdo colloquialisms.
    — Claire McNear, Rolling Stone, 8 Nov. 2025
Definition of colloquialism
Noun
  • The common name pilot black snake is a misnomer, stemming from an old belief that the black rat snake led rattlesnakes and other snake species to favorable overwintering sites.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Sep. 2026
  • In addition, there are the findings of the Police Reform Organizing Project’s (PROP) Court Monitoring Project, a kind of misnomer since its work actually involves assessing NYPD arrest practices.
    — Robert Gangi, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of misnomer
Noun
  • These words often appeared in the parlance of racial grievance.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The backstory The Park Hyatt Milan is, as the contemporary parlance goes, so back.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of parlance
Noun
  • As an alternative to estrogen-progestogen therapy, ACOG also recommends a pill, sold under the brand name Duavee, that combines estrogen and a drug called bazedoxifene.
    — Shannon Firth, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Now the modern-day Hublot (it was adopted as the brand name after the first model’s success ) hopes to recapture some of that 1980s verve with an all-new version of Crocco’s original model called the Classic Fusion Tributo.
    — Simon de Burton, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of brand name
Noun
  • At the very least, regionalism marked a spatial recalibration in the literary imaginary, away from European metropoles and national capitals and toward rural hinterlands.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The sport is defined by regionalism and spectacle, contradiction and chaos.
    — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of regionalism

Browse Nearby Words

vermin
vernacular
vernacularism
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Cite this Entry

“Vernacular.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vernacular. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about vernacular

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