colloquial

play

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

Definition of colloquial

1 : of or relating to conversation : conversational colloquial expressions
2a : used in or characteristic of familiar and informal conversation In colloquial English, “kind of” is often used for “somewhat” or “rather.”; also : unacceptably informalb : using conversational style a colloquial writer

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

Bottom surgery: A colloquial way of referring to gender affirming genital surgery.

— alia e. dastagir, USA TODAY, "LGBTQ definitions every good ally should know," 15 June 2017
Top surgery: Colloquial way of describing gender affirming surgery on the chest.

— alia e. dastagir, USA TODAY, "LGBTQ definitions every good ally should know," 15 June 2017
With a major in German and a minor in art history, Betty could read and write German well, and through newspapers brought to class by a professor, was skilled at colloquial German.

— jennifer conn, akron reporter, cleveland.com, "Dedicated conservationist, artist, writer Betty Seiberling dies at 96," 31 May 2017
And the score remains one of the best that Charles Strouse and Lee Adams ever composed, with tuneful but colloquial songs that smoothly fit amid dialogue while still expressing deeper emotions.

— theodore p. mahne, NOLA.com, "Rivertown's cheerful 'Bye Bye Birdie' will put a happy face on audiences," 8 May 2017
There had always been some writing in colloquial Egyptian, and a number of intellectuals advocated for expanding this practice.

— peter hessler, The New Yorker, "Learning Arabic from Egypt’s Revolution," 7 Apr. 2017
Pineapple Express is a colloquial term for just one type of atmospheric river, which are defined as narrow bands of water vapor in the atmosphere that can stretch for thousands of miles, from the tropics to higher latitudes.

— aaron sidder, Smithsonian, "Rivers in the Atmosphere Converge to Give California a Huge Downpour," 24 Feb. 2017
Like most monthly full moon's colloquial names, including January's Wolf Moon or September's Corn Moon, the Snow Moon derives its name from Native American lore.

— meredith carey, Condé Nast Traveler, "See a Lunar Eclipse, Snow Moon, and Comet—All This Weekend," 9 Feb. 2017
With a clear, colloquial writing style, Gorsuch has written in favor of courts’ second-guessing government regulations, in defense of religious freedom and skeptically about law enforcement.

— Orange County Register, "A look at the reported top contenders for the Supreme Court," 31 Jan. 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.