1
as in vocabulary
the stock of words, pronunciation, and grammar used by a people as their basic means of communication
Great Britain, the United States, Australia, and other countries where English is the dominant language
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in terminology
the special terms or expressions of a particular group or field
"love" means "nothing" in the language of tennis
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in diction
the way in which something is put into words
we're finding the language of the legal documents to be tough going
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of language
Foreigners who wish to become Ukrainian citizens must pass a test on the country's language, history, and constitution.
—
Isabel Van Brugen, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
The 64 selected last fall are a highly motivated group that represents a true cross-section of the student body, including six different home languages, students with disabilities and all academic levels.
—Jenelyn Russo, Oc Register, 19 June 2025
Photosynthesis was such a profound development; so were eukaryotes, nervous systems and language.
—Philip Ball, Wired News, 8 June 2025
The government's 2011 population census found that a little more than 10% of Indians fluently speak the language.
—Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for language
Isabel Van Brugen, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
The 64 selected last fall are a highly motivated group that represents a true cross-section of the student body, including six different home languages, students with disabilities and all academic levels.
—Jenelyn Russo, Oc Register, 19 June 2025
Photosynthesis was such a profound development; so were eukaryotes, nervous systems and language.
—Philip Ball, Wired News, 8 June 2025
The government's 2011 population census found that a little more than 10% of Indians fluently speak the language.
—Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for language
Recent Examples of Synonyms for language
Noun
-
According to the California Library Association, summer reading programs help children and teens retain and enhance their reading skills over the summer and benefit adults by stimulating the brain, increasing vocabulary and sparking imagination.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
16 June 2025
-
For much of the past 1,000 years, Yiddish was spoken by three quarters of the world’s Jews — a Germanic vernacular, seasoned with Hebrew, Slavic and Romance vocabulary, that bridged polyglot Jewish communities in Central and Eastern Europe and followed them to the far corners of the diaspora.—
Andrew Silow-Carroll,
Sun Sentinel,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
After all, ocean issues can involve sophisticated terminology that may make newcomers hesitant to follow along.—
Simi Thambi,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
-
District 3 Board Member Ann Maine, while in support of the assessment’s goal, questioned if different terminology could be used for the same result to avoid undue attention from the national level.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2025
Noun
-
This was the voice of Suzanne Vega, a singer with little in the way of vocal dynamics or overt flourish, just a diction of great clarity and control.—
Emma Madden,
Vulture,
9 May 2025
-
That’s just what The Original Daughter does, from every single word, from diction to syntax to plot and voice to character and even theme.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The three musketeers became the ‘Fab Four’… Princess Catherine [silently] cannot understand why Prince Harry still won't bite his tongue and continues his destructive path.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2025
-
Sweet, crisp, refreshing, a little sour, a little classic, doesn’t turn your tongue brown or give you weirdo breath.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
9 June 2025
Noun
-
Weyman didn’t have long to prepare for the massive character milestone, but emphasized the importance of dialect to his portrayal of the Grey Wanderer.—
Lauren Coates,
Variety,
9 June 2025
-
No More Officers often deal with documents in rare dialects, bad translations or messy handwriting.—
Raghu Para,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
McLaughlin was reacting to CNN anchor Abby Phillip's post questioning DHS's wording.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
-
Even subtle changes in the wording of CDC recommendations—a should swapped for a may—can have big ripple effects, Limaye told me.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2025
Noun
-
Unleashing Wood has ushered in an exciting new phase for a widely influential band that has defined a state-of-the-art jazz idiom deeply engaged with other genres.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
23 May 2025
-
Scientists analyzed recordings of three groups of chimpanzees living in the Ivory Coast and found that chimps can combine their hoots, grunts and calls in a similar way to how humans use idioms or change the order of words to build new phrases.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
11 May 2025
Noun
-
Some stems from that, and then some stems from being around Pacific Islanders all day and other Samoans and Hawaiians and different dialects and different slang.—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vulture,
11 June 2025
-
Twain dared to buck the expectations of critics by using the colloquial dialect and slang of those with little education.—
Kyra Davis Lurie
June 11,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Language.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/language. Accessed 24 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share