colloquial

adjective col·lo·qui·al \ kə-ˈlō-kwē-əl \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of colloquial

1 a : used in or characteristic of familiar and informal conversation

In colloquial English, "kind of" is often used for "somewhat" or "rather."

; also : unacceptably informal

b : using conversational style

a colloquial writer

2 : of or relating to conversation : conversational

colloquial expressions

—

colloquial

noun

—

colloquiality

play \kə-ˌlō-kwē-ˈa-lə-tē\ noun

—

colloquially

play \kə-ˈlō-kwē-ə-lē\ adverb

See colloquial defined for English-language learners

See colloquial defined for kids

colloquial was our Word of the Day on 08/26/2011. Hear the podcast!

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 of colloquial from the Web

But if her reactions were fake, that would, in the colloquial sense of the word, also be crazy: Why deny hallucinations after longreporting otherwise, when your lawyers are building an insanity defense?

— maureen o'connor, The Cut, "Video Shows Nanny in Murder Trial Denying Hallucinations," 12 Apr. 2018
In contrast to Kate, Meghan’s speaking style was more colloquial and outgoing.

— diana pearl, PEOPLE.com, "Watch: Kate and Meghan Couldn't Be More Different on Stage Today," 28 Feb. 2018
Speedballs, the colloquial term for a heroin-cocaine combination, have long been a popular drug cocktail, used together for what is said to be a unique euphoria.

— aubrey whelan, Philly.com, "Cocaine-fentanyl deaths in Philly show fatal unpredictability in drug supply," 20 Feb. 2018
The fact is, when Hurricane Ophelia linguistically morphed into Post-Tropical Cyclone Ophelia in National Hurricane Center bulletins, the intrinsic colloquial message was that the storm had been downgraded.

— bryan norcross, Washington Post, "If it quacks like a hurricane: Time to rethink “post-tropical cyclone” terminology," 18 Oct. 2017
That link has given the illness its more colloquial name: Broken-heart syndrome.

— karin brulliard, chicagotribune.com, "A woman's dog died, and doctors say her heart literally broke," 19 Oct. 2017
After a whirlwind day of fashion talk (both colloquial and cerebral), Vogue’s first ever conference Forces of Fashion ended with clinks of champagne flutes.

— lilah ramzi, Vogue, "Cheers for Forces of Fashion! The Conference Culminated With a Glamorous Cocktail Hour," 13 Oct. 2017
Adaptions in the messaging of that ideology, its placement into colloquial language and distribution through new mediums, are only new means of distribution and not reasons for the expansion of the Salafi–jihadi movement.

— katherine zimmerman, National Review, "America Won’t Win the War on Terror Until It Understands the Enemy," 12 Oct. 2017
It was written in a colloquial style, with practical examples and even fictional stories that demonstrated the impact that economic policy has on people’s lives.

— The Economist, "The life of Samuelson," 31 Aug. 2017

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.

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.