VERNACULAR Synonyms: 97 Similar and Opposite Words

vernacular 1 of 2

adjective

vər-ˈna-kyə-lər

Definition of vernacular

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

as in idiom

Related Words

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

Adjective

Silent sleep apnea is a colloquial term for the form of the condition that occurs without the loud, disruptive snoring most people associate with it.

— Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 4 Aug. 2026
Wilson’s translation has come under fire for her decision to render Homeric Greek into a direct, colloquial English.

— Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of colloquial

Noun

The multigenerational family epic is one of my favorite kinds of novels, and Min Jin Lee is a master of that idiom.

— Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026
In that context, all three filmmakers agreed that, while English films are on the rise, the idiom is just another card on their table—and Swiss directors are eager to play their hands.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 6 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

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

In response, the town shifted its marketing to late-night booze-ups and wedding parties (known, in British parlance, as stag dos and hen dos), and subsequently grew a reputation as a sandcastle Sodom.

— George Francis Lee, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026
In OpenAI's current parlance, a plugin is a bundle of apps, instructions, role-specific skills, and recurring workflows rather than an external application or a folder of sample prompts.

— Ray Ravaglia, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of parlance

Noun

The study was funded by Revolution Medicines, which will be selling daraxonrasib under the brand name Rasonque.

— Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
In March, the FDA approved icotrokinra (brand name ICOTYDE), a once-daily tablet that blocks the same IL-23 pathway targeted by injectable biologics.

— Leslie Baumann, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 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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“Vernacular.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vernacular. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of vernacular

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

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