Definition of LEXICON

Tips on Using Lexicon in a Sentence

The word lexicon has a number of closely-related meanings, which can easily lead to confusion and may cause the word to be used in an awkward way. Lexicon can refer to a general dictionary of a language (as in "a lexicon of the Hebrew language") and also to a narrower printed compilation of words within some sphere (as in "a medical lexicon" or "a lexicon of the German in Finnegans Wake").

Similarly, lexicon can refer both to the vocabulary of a specific group of people ("the lexicon of French") or to the general language used by an unspecified group of people ("a word that has not entered the general lexicon yet"). It may also often be found in reference to the vocabulary employed by a particular speaker ("'Failure' is not a word in my lexicon").

Examples of lexicon in a Sentence

a computer term that has entered the general lexicon an avid word enthusiast who is compiling a lexicon of archaic and unusual words

Recent Examples on the Web

Around 2010, a public dialogue regarding sulfates (cheap lathering detergents) entered the soap lexicon. — Tyler Watamanuk, New York Times, "When Did Soap, Once Simple, Get So Complicated?," 11 July 2018 That, of course, was before bullpenning entered the lexicon. — Teddy Greenstein, chicagotribune.com, "Launch angles? Bullpenning? Ice cream instead of beer? This is not the baseball I once covered," 18 May 2018 And there was a lexicon to learn: elevenses, drives, beaters, keepers, loaders. — David Usborne, Town & Country, "The Mysterious Case of the Parnham House Fire," 29 May 2018 The summit began a fresh era in Sino-American relations and its significance propelled it into the political lexicon—a Nixon to China moment becoming shorthand for an audacious maneuver. — Joanna Sugden, WSJ, "Historic Handshakes: Past Presidential Summits," 10 June 2018 Actually, that Latin phrase seems only to have entered the popular lexicon after Queen Elizabeth II used it to refer to 1992. — Tom Saler, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Tom Saler: 2018 has eerie resemblance to 1968," 23 Mar. 2018 Examining the 2,612 Instagram and Tumblr posts, Gerrard uncovered a complicated lexicon of signals that would likely evade any platform’s moderation efforts. — Louise Matsakis, WIRED, "How Pro-Eating Disorder Posts Evade Filters on Social Media," 13 June 2018 If borne out, the findings would be nothing short of revolutionary, introducing a new fundamental particle to the lexicon of physics that might even help explain the mystery of dark matter. — Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, "Evidence Builds for a New Kind of Neutrino," 7 June 2018 As has been borne out in nearly four decades of songs, more than 20 of them top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, the lexicon of his story telling is that of the farmer, the small town purveyor, the boundless spaces sprawled between the headlines. — Cathy Applefeld Olson, Billboard, "John Mellencamp Talks Taking a Knee During 'Colbert' Performance," 6 June 2018

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