1
as in vernacular
used in or suitable for speech and not formal writing
the new coworker's rudeness soon began—to use a colloquial expression—to rub me the wrong way
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in conversational
having the style and content of everyday conversation
a colloquial essay on what makes a marriage successful
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in colloquialism
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of colloquial
Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
This time around, our Traitors and Faithfuls are a beautiful assortment of Housewives, Survivors, athletes, actors, and plenty of mothers — both literal (Donna Kelce) and in the colloquial sense (Porsha Williams).
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
The colloquial term Paczki Day is used for Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras.
—Jelissa Burns, Freep.com, 6 Jan. 2026
In this context, something as small and lightweight as a pair of earrings could serve as the colloquial glue that united people under one national identity, at a moment in history when destabilization and separation were the modi operandi of a country sharing a border with Ukraine.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colloquial
Adjective
The city of big apples, hand-tossed pizzas and the colloquial adverb deadass.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
This time around, our Traitors and Faithfuls are a beautiful assortment of Housewives, Survivors, athletes, actors, and plenty of mothers — both literal (Donna Kelce) and in the colloquial sense (Porsha Williams).
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
The colloquial term Paczki Day is used for Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras.
—Jelissa Burns, Freep.com, 6 Jan. 2026
In this context, something as small and lightweight as a pair of earrings could serve as the colloquial glue that united people under one national identity, at a moment in history when destabilization and separation were the modi operandi of a country sharing a border with Ukraine.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colloquial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colloquial
Adjective
-
The final tour on May 30 will be Avon and Simsbury including architectural themes of vernacular farmhouses, Georgian and Federal homes and the classic saltbox home.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Translated into many vernacular languages, the poetry and philosophy of Firdausi, Attar, Rumi, Hafez, Sa‘di, Nizami, Ibn Sina, and Nizam al-Mulk assumed a canonical authority across Asia.—
Pankaj Mishra,
The New York Review of Books,
13 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
June 21 – July 22 Wandering down conversational tangents will be especially tempting today.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
This level includes core ticket management functions, such as automatic agent assignments, knowledge base creation, reports, user surveys, and various conversational, predictive, and generative AI features (under the Zia branding).—
John Brandon,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The exhibit’s title is derived from a Spanish colloquialism.—
Uwa Ede-Osifo,
Dallas Morning News,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Her vetting crusades have brought about a new Washington colloquialism.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Food and drink Head to Cugino for breakfast or an informal lunch.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Through performances, activations, and informal exchanges, visitors are invited to share personal stories that become part of an evolving audio component.—
Olga Garcia-Mayoral,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The birding site notes that hummingbirds migrate alone, often following familiar paths, and can travel up to 500 miles at a time at speeds of 20 to 30 mph.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Bogen says the pattern is familiar from older Internet platforms, where small behavioral cues became signals that shaped what users saw and how they were categorized.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The centuries-old pot-kettle idiom points out hypocrisy — as when one person accuses another of a flaw that afflicts himself.—
George Skelton,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
If the assignment is to translate something from a foreign language, there are plenty of tools and resources that can do it for you, including by recognizing and figuratively translating idioms.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The sport is still years away from drawing the casual fan to the arena.—
Mac Engel
March 31,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Mar. 2026
-
It’s built for casual listening virtually anywhere, including the park, the beach, or at home, and offers up to 7 hours of battery life on a single charge.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But in modern English parlance, mantra has come to mean a person or group’s representative phrase, similar to a slogan or a watchword.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
31 Mar. 2026
-
In military parlance, this usually translates to one attack on a specific target that might involve multiple weapons.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colloquial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colloquial. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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