linguistic

adjective

lin·​guis·​tic liŋ-ˈgwi-stik 

variants or less commonly linguistical

liŋ-ˈgwi-sti-kəl 

: of or relating to language or linguistics

linguistic scholars

linguistic changes

linguistically

liŋ-ˈgwi-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms of linguistic

• verbal
• communicative
• lexical
• rhetorical

Examples of linguistic in a Sentence

the age at which children begin to acquire linguistic skills

Recent Examples on the Web

But today’s linguistic diversity may be only the shadow of a time when humans conversed in 10 times as many tongues. — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 23 July 2026

In comparison, those trained with 180 combinations reached around 85 percent, demonstrating that varied linguistic exposure dramatically improved their ability to understand previously unseen instructions. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 23 July 2026

At times the book reads like a bold linguistic experiment, an attempt to discover the absolute minimum level of evocation that can be achieved by what are technically grammatical English sentences. — Matthew Walther, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

Not even those linguistic underdogs Kurdish and Ukrainian are exceptions to this pattern. — Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

linguist + -ic entry 1, probably after German linguistisch

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing linguistic

• linguistic atlas
• linguistic form
• linguistic geography

Rhymes for linguistic

• artistic
• autistic
• ballistic
• cladistic
• heuristic
• holistic
• logistic
• monistic
• patristic
• sadistic
• simplistic
• sophistic

Kids Definition

linguistic

adjective

lin·​guis·​tic liŋ-ˈgwis-tik 

: of or relating to language or linguistics

linguistically

-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb