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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of colloquial
Jill Barton, The Conversation, 24 Jan. 2025
What is a Green Beret? Green Beret is the colloquial name used for members of the U.S. Army Special Forces.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2025
Purple group — colloquial suffixes (CORE, GATE, MANIA, PILLED)
No perfect game, but that's nine wins in a row.
—Kris Holt, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
To push the colloquial gold envelope even further, Swift added a chain belt.
—Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colloquial
Adjective
Gorsuch used his short opinion on the dry topic of debt collection to declare a more colloquial style.
—Jill Barton, The Conversation, 24 Jan. 2025
What is a Green Beret? Green Beret is the colloquial name used for members of the U.S. Army Special Forces.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2025
Purple group — colloquial suffixes (CORE, GATE, MANIA, PILLED)
No perfect game, but that's nine wins in a row.
—Kris Holt, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
To push the colloquial gold envelope even further, Swift added a chain belt.
—Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colloquial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colloquial
Adjective
-
There’s very few vernacular places left in America.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Villa Aalto, with its modest rooms, charming front portico, traditional hip roofline, and wooden beams, speaks to the easy sincerity of his early designs: vernacular elements at odds with the Modernist dogmas of the day.—
Michael Snyder,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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This could involve helping systems learn colloquialisms and proper usages of terms.—
Kathy Kristof,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Mar. 2025
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You would be forgiven for assuming this a playful colloquialism, perhaps revealing a tenderness to the hunt.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
These open-branching shrubs make an informal hedge that requires little pruning.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Reznick and some former Video Game Writers Caucus members continue to hold informal group meetings.—
Simon Abrams,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The crossings also have to be familiar words all the way across those entries.—
Deb Amlen,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Kaye’s version, if the full title isn’t clear enough, has a familiar outline: First-gen immigrants become parents in the West, hoping their sacrifices will be rewarded with a doctor or lawyer child; child goes another way; conflict ensues.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Ultimately, Andrews and his actors find Chekhov by abandoning the paraphernalia of the writer’s universe and groping, in their own idiom, across a perilously empty stage, toward one another.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
4 Apr. 2025
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Which is fitting for a composer who, even when developing a homegrown idiom of his own, was criticized for sounding too European.—
Joshua Barone,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The Retreat Linen Top and matching Mid-rise Shorts, both over 40 percent off, can be styled together for a polished resort outfit or worn separately with basics for casual, everyday wear.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Apr. 2025
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There are thousands of dresses for every attire, from outdoor garden weddings and casual beach nuptials to glamorous black tie affairs.—
Jamie Allison Sanders,
People.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In British fashion parlance, the signature single flower, attended occasionally by a bit of lace, is called a fascinator.—
Guy Martin,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
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The maneuver, in military parlance, is known as a force multiplier.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This includes a lawyer, who will reply to social messages and even gossipy chitchat from their work account.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
18 Apr. 2025
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Duvall, who won the Best Actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival, improvised much of her gossipy dialogue.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
19 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Colloquial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colloquial. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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