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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of colloquial
Essence, 17 Sep. 2025
Cervantes’ writings mixes a high-style and an extraordinary realism, in ordinary life detail and colloquial dialogue.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
This isn’t about a desire for simpler, colloquial language.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Gilbert’s colloquial style, once a source of great pleasure, has tipped into new territory—an ingenuousness that blends guru and disciple, mother and child.
—Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colloquial
Adjective
Mays brought the quality of Elegba’s duality to life with impeccable, almost intuitive range, dancing from whimsical embodiment to archival vernacular to colloquial ease with incredible intention and timing.
—Essence, 17 Sep. 2025
Cervantes’ writings mixes a high-style and an extraordinary realism, in ordinary life detail and colloquial dialogue.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
This isn’t about a desire for simpler, colloquial language.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Gilbert’s colloquial style, once a source of great pleasure, has tipped into new territory—an ingenuousness that blends guru and disciple, mother and child.
—Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colloquial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colloquial
Adjective
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Gaube’s photographs, explains Moussa, show both his interest in vernacular architecture and the penchant of Lebanese architects, designers, and builders for using thick stone and heavy wooden doors that kept interiors cool in summer and insulated in winter.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
25 Oct. 2025
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October 17, 2025 Over the last three decades, Rick Owens has built a universe with its own fashion vernacular—a world where high fashion meets dystopia and rebellion is the ultimate form of self-expression.—
Irina Grechko,
Vogue,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Enable conversational commerce and automate key tasks.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
3 Nov. 2025
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Users will then be able to ask follow-up questions in a conversational manner to refine or broaden their search results.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
1 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Gestures, colloquialisms, facial expressions, local cuisine, and the like are not incidental to a tongue but constitute it; sometimes, to capture a word or phrase, in writing or in an algorithm, is to stamp out its meaning.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
16 Oct. 2025
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What started out as an advertising slogan for Apple more than 15 years ago has morphed into somewhat of a modern day colloquialism: There should be an app for that.—
Katherine Fung,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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After an informal question and answer session with several representatives from TCEQ, more than a dozen people stepped to the microphone to deliver comments on the proposal.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Oct. 2025
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It’s supported education for refugee children, clean water and sanitation, livelihoods for informal waste pickers and funded factory decarbonization initiatives.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Here, Hunter returns to a familiar figure in Stock’s Ethan, a writer who made it out of small-town Idaho for college and then a life in Seattle, but whose career is flagging and bank account is running dry.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
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But those who’ve watched the Blackhawks on a nightly basis know Spencer Knight has been masking some familiar defensive deficiencies.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Though the idiom of abuse has changed, the critics are as hostile as ever, while their targets react only with curious torpor.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
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Music unites the interconnecting stories in this saga and expands its passions, with a sumptuous score by composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens that taps into a wide range of American styles, idioms and amalgams, even as the second act turns more dissonant.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The dress code was casual for the at-home event, with Khloé wearing a brown and white cow-print, loose-fitting onesie.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
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Best Restaurants Forte Restaurant Modern Italian dishes are on the menu at Forte, a casual spot in Kananaskis Village.—
Lisa Kadane,
Travel + Leisure,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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In liberal parlance, that’s a Do Pass Go and Do Collect Millions card.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
22 Oct. 2025
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In auto industry parlance, the loans were underwater.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Colloquial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colloquial. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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