Definition of COLLOQUIAL

Other Words from colloquial

colloquial noun

colloquiality \ kə-ˌlō-kwē-ˈa-lə-tē

\ noun

colloquially \ kə-ˈlō-kwē-ə-lē

\ adverb

Did You Know?

The noun colloquy was first used in English to refer to a conversation or dialogue, and when the adjective colloquial was formed from colloquy it had a similar focus. Over time, however, colloquial developed a more specific meaning related to language that is most suited to informal conversation - and it ultimately garnered an additional, disparaging implication of a style that seems too informal for a situation. Colloquy and colloquial trace back to the Latin verb colloqui, meaning "to converse." Colloqui in turn was formed by combining the prefix com- and loqui, "to speak." Other conversational descendants of loqui in English include "circumlocution," eloquent, loquacious, soliloquy, and ventriloquism.

Examples of colloquial in a Sentence

But I think part of this pickle that we're in—if I may be colloquial, even though I'm not running for office—is that we've lost their sense of responsibility. — Sarah Vowell, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2008 Langston was the merriest and the most colloquial of them all. "Best party I've ever been given!" he said. — Gwendolyn Brooks, Booklist, 15 Oct. 1993 Mr. Salisbury's firsthand account is written in a fast-paced, chaotic and colloquial style, which often feels confused and hastily set down. — Susan Shapiro, New York Times Book Review, 10 Sept. 1989 Although in the circle of his friends, where he might be unreserved with safety, he took a free share in conversation, his colloquial talents were not above mediocrity, possessing neither copiousness of ideas, nor fluency of words. — Thomas Jefferson, letter, 2 Jan. 1814 the new coworker's rudeness soon began—to use a colloquial expression—to rub me the wrong way a colloquial essay on what makes a marriage successful

Recent Examples on the Web

There were plenty of other reasons to make movies which might be more clear now that now that the medium is so accessible and colloquial, but certainly back then, no one thought of filmmaking in that way. — Bridget Read, Vogue, "Miranda July Talks #MeToo, Tech, and Joanie4Jackie," 16 Oct. 2018 Baldwin’s prose ranges from richly colloquial to soaringly, sometimes wrathfully lyrical. — Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, "‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ Review: Love Hoping for Justice," 13 Dec. 2018 There is a colloquial terseness to the game’s writing that’s used to great comedic effect in a way that’s reminiscent of shows like Adventure Time or the Regular Show. — Michael Moore, The Verge, "The Haunted Island: a Frog Detective Game is a farcical tale of ghosts, vacations to Indonesia, and overzealous dental care," 23 Dec. 2018 So even the bug of the name is a colloquial feature. — Danny Westneat, The Seattle Times, "Whose stadium is it? They tell us it’s ours, only not when it comes to selling the big money name," 12 Dec. 2018 Eve’s hunch is validated when the victim’s girlfriend, through a haze of drugs and trauma, describes the assassin, in colloquial Polish, as flat chested. — David Kamp, WSJ, "Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a Powerhouse on the Rise," 5 Nov. 2018 To improve your conversational skills, Busuu has native speakers provide comments on grammatical exercises to help with both corrections and by providing you with cultural context, colloquial terms, and more. — Sara Tardiff, Teen Vogue, "Solo Travel Tips for Women and Nonbinary People," 17 Sep. 2018 Tamblyn has a natural ear for colloquial writing, and the strongest parts of the novel belong to Pear and Jamar, two of Maude’s victims who speak in a direct, confessional style. — Steph Cha, USA TODAY, "Amber Tamblyn takes on rape culture (with a daring twist) in debut novel, 'Any Man'," 26 June 2018 The artist has built a fantastical immersive environment inside the museum’s Grand Avenue location inspired by aspects of Afrofuturism and colloquial signifiers of black identity — a wry re-imagining of the white cube. — Carolina A. Miranda, latimes.com, "Datebook: Shots of old Route 66, dreamlike paintings and garments fashioned from paper," 12 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'colloquial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.