preverbal
adjective
pre·ver·bal
(ˌ)prē-ˈvər-bəl 
1
: occurring before the verb see also preverbal done
2
: having not yet acquired the faculty of speech
a preverbal child
Examples of preverbal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In other words, much of emotional labor is preverbal.
—
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 28 Feb. 2026
Scientists have a lot of experience working with populations that don’t have language—studying preverbal infants or studying nonhuman animal species.
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2024
For a preverbal child, that usually means picking them up.
—Amanda Ruggeri, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2024
The almost mournful hysteria of the pack echoes off the canyon walls, bypasses the rational brain, and reaches into something deeper, some preverbal place where the laws of men no longer obtain.
—Bill Heavey, Field & Stream, 1 Feb. 2024
Celina Celina played in the 4A state semifinals last season and ran into the preverbal buzz saw that was eventual champ Sinton.
—Dallas News, 17 Feb. 2023
Other groups of researchers have begun looking at AI based on machine learning and computer vision that could track the facial expressions of infants—another possible way of detecting pain among preverbal babies.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 May 2017
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Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 28 Feb. 2026
Scientists have a lot of experience working with populations that don’t have language—studying preverbal infants or studying nonhuman animal species.
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 17 Oct. 2024
For a preverbal child, that usually means picking them up.
—Amanda Ruggeri, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2024
The almost mournful hysteria of the pack echoes off the canyon walls, bypasses the rational brain, and reaches into something deeper, some preverbal place where the laws of men no longer obtain.
—Bill Heavey, Field & Stream, 1 Feb. 2024
Celina Celina played in the 4A state semifinals last season and ran into the preverbal buzz saw that was eventual champ Sinton.
—Dallas News, 17 Feb. 2023
Other groups of researchers have begun looking at AI based on machine learning and computer vision that could track the facial expressions of infants—another possible way of detecting pain among preverbal babies.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 May 2017
Cite this Entry
“Preverbal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preverbal. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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