language model

noun

plural language models

: a mathematical model (see model entry 1 sense 3) that analyzes a corpus of text in order to accurately represent the relationships between words

We have tremendous freedom to put words in any order we like. The computer has to have some kind of handle, a language model. It has to figure how likely any particular word is to pop up at any time.

—Robert Mercer, quoted in Chicago Tribune

also : software that uses a language model to generate text (such as responses to queries or prompts)

For example, given the task of analyzing the sentiment of the sentence 'I missed the bus today,' researchers could continue with the prompt 'I felt so [blank]' and ask a language model to fill in the blank with an emotion.

—Kyle Wiggers

see also large language model

Examples of language model in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Early language models hallucinated frequently and couldn't be trusted for serious work. —Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026

So either their language model will have to get a whole lot better and faster very quickly, or the company’s whole business model might have just gone out the window. —Kelly Evans, CNBC, 19 Jan. 2026

In January, Mylius and colleagues released a tool that enhances the AI Incident Database by using a language model to parse the news reports associated with each incident, before classifying them by type of harm and severity. —Harry Booth, Time, 19 Jan. 2026

Shaheed attributes the enrollment growth in part to the school’s dual language model, as well as its support for all students, including those with disabilities. —Amelia Pak-Harvey, IndyStar, 16 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for language model

• caudal
• caudle
• dawdle
• twaddle
• waddle
• remodel