vernacular

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adjective ver·nac·u·lar \ vər-ˈna-kyə-lər , və- \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of vernacular

1 a :using a language or dialect native to a region or country rather than a literary, cultured, or foreign language

b :of, relating to, or being a nonstandard language or dialect of a place, region, or country

c :of, relating to, or being the normal spoken form of a language

2 :applied to a plant or animal in the common native speech as distinguished from the Latin nomenclature of scientific classification

the vernacular name

3 :of, relating to, or characteristic of a period, place, or group; especially :of, relating to, or being the common building style of a period or place

vernacular architecture

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vernacularly

adverb

See vernacular defined for English-language learners

See vernacular defined for kids

Examples of vernacular in a Sentence

While there are American operas galore, some of which are quite good indeed, there is no vernacular opera tradition in America—instead, we have musical comedy—and now that supertitles have become standard equipment at major American opera houses, the chances that those houses will start regularly performing foreign-language operas in English translation have dropped from slim to none. —Terry Teachout, New York Times Book Review, 9 Nov. 1997
Native crafts, the use of local materials, and vernacular buildings were considered integral to each country's heritage, and their preservation and revival became part of the movement to forge a strong national identity. —Wendy Kaplan, Antiques, October 1995
For the proliferation of rich vernacular literatures in the twelfth century secured the place of the vulgar tongues in European society, and this entrenchment of the vernacular tongues made the European peoples more conscious of being separated from each other; decreased the cosmopolitan attitudes of the European nobility; and encouraged xenophobia, which became common in the thirteenth century. —Norman F. Cantor, The Civilization of the Middle Ages, 1993
Hurricanes, fires and economic development unfortunately have caused many examples of both vernacular and more classical architecture to disappear over the years. —Suzanne Stephens, Architectural Digest, 1 Aug. 1990
the vernacular architecture of the region
writes essays in a very easy-to-read, vernacular style

Recent Examples of vernacular from the Web

Now, 36 years later, Seaside stands as the rustic and vernacular town that started the New Urbanism movement in architecture.

— birmingham magazine, AL.com, "Opinion: Seaside is the best vacation destination," 27 Aug. 2017
The show engages issues such as colonialism, migration, inequity, vernacular construction (of the sort that powers many Latin American urban centers) and the ways in which architecture can serve as a tool of the state.

— carolina a. miranda, latimes.com, "Argentine slums and a Unabomber cabin: How 'Home' at LACMA rethinks ideas about Latin American art," 15 June 2017
Few vernacular films have transcended their regional origins to become hits across India, a land of 1.3 billion people, with sharp regional language and cultural differences.

— shashank bengali, latimes.com, "The Indian fantasy epic that's breaking box office records is unlike any Bollywood film you've seen," 5 May 2017
The vernacular elements sounded freshest when Mr. Marsalis folded them into passages of symphonic mass, with thick, pungent chords and boldly fractured phrases.

— anthony tommasini, New York Times, "Review: Wynton Marsalis’s Urban Symphony for the Philharmonic," 30 Dec. 2016
Brutalism is, as the critic Michael J. Lewis has pointed out, the vernacular expression of the welfare state.

— nikil saval, New York Times, "Brutalism Is Back," 6 Oct. 2016
Over time, most people began to replace the name prairie wolf with coyote or as some people pronounced it, in vernacular speech, kie-ote.

— National Geographic, "How the Most Hated Animal in America Outwitted Us All," 7 Aug. 2016

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

Origin and Etymology of vernacular

Latin vernāculus "belonging to the household, domestic, native" (from verna "slave born in the household"—of uncertain origin— + -āculus, perhaps originally diminutive suffix, though derivation is unclear) + -ar

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First Known Use: 1601

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vernacular Synonyms

Synonyms

conversational, informal, nonformal, nonliterary, unbookish, unliterary, colloquial, vulgar

Antonyms

bookish, formal, learned, literary

Related Words

dialectal, dialectical (also dialectic), nonstandard, regional; incorrect, nongrammatical, substandard, uneducated, ungrammatical, unlearned; slang, slangy

Near Antonyms

standard, undialectical; correct, educated, genteel, grammatical, proper

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

vernacular

noun

Definition of vernacular

1 :a vernacular language, expression, or mode of expression :an expression or mode of expression that occurs in ordinary speech rather than formal writing

2 :the mode of expression of a group or class

3 :a common name of a plant or animal as distinguished from the Latin nomenclature of scientific classification :a vernacular name of a plant or animal

See vernacular defined for English-language learners

Examples of vernacular in a Sentence

But ask baseball people about [Michael] Young, and they'll admiringly tell you that he is a "grinder," vernacular for a player who works his butt off. —Chris Ballard, Sports Illustrated, 8 May 2006
… the sources for [Cole] Porter's chromaticism and syncopation are the vernacular of black music in America. —Stephen Brown, Times Literary Supplement, 21 Jan. 2005
For Lu Xun helped revolutionize Chinese writing, tugging the written language toward the vernacular so that it was easier to learn, and he even endorsed the heresy of abandoning Chinese characters for the Roman alphabet so that literacy could spread more easily. —Amy Hempel, New York Times Book Review, 19 Aug. 1990
New Mexico is not the easiest region in the country for an architect to establish a practice in. It is not that the area is indifferent to architecture—it is more that the traditional south-western architectural vernacular is so awe-inspiring that it tends to overwhelm most efforts to create a credible personal voice. —Paul Goldberger, Architectural Digest, October 1986
What was required was a vagrant and a visionary, a man of mystic recklessness. The man who dared point the way would have to use the vernacular, and not speak but shriek. Paracelsus (1493–1541) was suspect in his day, and never lost his reputation as a charlatan. —Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983
He spoke in the vernacular of an urban teenager.
phrases that occur in the common vernacular

Recent Examples of vernacular from the Web

The result was a building that has a modern sensibility but still fits the island's architectural vernacular -- fishing camp on pilings -- while also being strong enough to stand up to a category 5 storm.

— sue strachan, NOLA.com, "This modern Grand Isle fishing camp is built to withstand a category 5 storm," 16 Aug. 2017
Both works swim around in the vernacular of black womanhood, exploring how the black female identity is formed and expressed under surveillance.

— jenna wortham, Bon Appetit, "This Conceptual Artist Probably Lifts Heavier Than You," 13 July 2017
A wood ape is the local vernacular for a Sasquatch or a Bigfoot.

— joey nolfi, PEOPLE.com, "Rob Lowe Recalls 'Incredible Encounter' with Bigfoot: 'I Thought I Was Going to Be Killed'," 29 June 2017
Hip-hop is often the place where the vernacular of American English is first stretched.

— cody delistraty, Longreads, "Faster Than the Speed of Sound: An Interview with Holly Maniatty," 28 June 2017
To use present-day vernacular, both Koonin and Pruitt are essentially claiming that peer-review systems are rigged, and that climate scientists are not providing sound scientific information to policymakers.

— dino grandoni, Washington Post, "The Energy 202: Trump takes on wind energy, talks solar-powered border wall in Iowa speech," 22 June 2017
Snail Homes Housing crunches tend to generate their own vernacular.

— paul panckhurst, Bloomberg.com, "As Hong Kong Flats Shrink, Developers' Coffers Swell," 19 June 2017
The coven summoned its power through crystals and plants, cast its spells in the vernacular—no weird Latin chanting or speaking in tongues.

— julia felsenthal, Vogue, "Before There Was Twilight, Harry Potter, and Goop-Approved Crystals, There Was The Secret Circle," 19 June 2017
Snail Homes Housing crunches tend to generate their own vernacular.

— paul panckhurst, Bloomberg.com, "As Hong Kong Flats Shrink, Developers' Coffers Swell," 19 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of vernacular

noun derivative of ¹vernacular

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1661

See Words from the same year

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

VERNACULAR Defined for English Language Learners

vernacular

play

adjective

Definition of vernacular for English Language Learners

: of, relating to, or using the language of ordinary speech rather than formal writing
: of or relating to the common style of a particular time, place, or group