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
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of colloquial
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 26 Dec. 2025
The rest of the book is spent expanding on these maxims one by one, in her colloquial, easy style, with references to classic psychological studies, her own research and her own experiences.
—Lamorna Ash, The Dial, 25 Nov. 2025
Through it all, the specifically colloquial quality of the dialogue and the delivery of the vivacious voice cast preserves the film’s Mexican identity.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
The language is colloquial, down-to-earth.
—Andrew Rojecki, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colloquial
Adjective
In Hong Kong, for instance, most people speak Cantonese, an informal and colloquial language that has its own version of a gender-neutral pronoun – lessening the demand for a new character, said Wan, of rights group Gender Empowerment.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 26 Dec. 2025
The rest of the book is spent expanding on these maxims one by one, in her colloquial, easy style, with references to classic psychological studies, her own research and her own experiences.
—Lamorna Ash, The Dial, 25 Nov. 2025
Through it all, the specifically colloquial quality of the dialogue and the delivery of the vivacious voice cast preserves the film’s Mexican identity.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
The language is colloquial, down-to-earth.
—Andrew Rojecki, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colloquial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colloquial
Adjective
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That was the beginning of it and the Coens have a deep knowledge of American vernacular music.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
27 Feb. 2026
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Some authors of quasi-impossible books like Nabokov (Ada, or Ardor), Pynchon (Gravity’s Rainbow) and Wallace (Infinite Jest) nevertheless manage to write unfailingly entertaining sentences that never lose a certain vernacular crackle, and that are often funny.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Large language models are evolving from answer engines into conversational partners that shape decisions by asking their own questions.—
Frédéric Dalsace,
Harvard Business Review,
2 Mar. 2026
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In his first letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, new CEO Greg Abel didn't try to emulate Warren Buffett's folksy, conversational writing style.—
Alex Crippen,
CNBC,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Her vetting crusades have brought about a new Washington colloquialism.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
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The show chugged along nonetheless, gradually attracting fans who adored its stark cinematography and weirdo colloquialisms.—
Claire McNear,
Rolling Stone,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The massive spread includes several formal and informal gathering spaces, with the gleaming chef’s kitchen serving as the heart of the home.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
4 Mar. 2026
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National Snack Day was established in 2016 by Jace Shoemaker-Galloway, who has invented more than two-dozen informal holidays, Days of the Year said.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Goodbye to the ‘iPad kid’ era Kids glued to their tablets have become a familiar sight at restaurants.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
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Love is familiar to audiences, after having acted in TV and movie projects since at least 2010.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Those books introduced me to a vision of American teenage life and taught me the rhythms and idioms of American English, nuances that would later replace my Britishisms and shape my career as a journalist.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Next to the particularities of place—the Midwest, the South—or enmeshed with it, are the particularities of language, of idiom, and ways of saying.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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All sorts of messages, formal or casual, are more meaningful during the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in your conversation zone.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Mar. 2026
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In a 2010 study, for example, the disparity held in both casual and familiar encounters, with ten per cent of women reaching orgasm versus thirty-one per cent of men in a first-time hookup, and sixty-eight per cent versus eighty-five per cent with a familiar partner.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In negotiating parlance, that’s the most a buyer is willing to pay, and Paramount hasn’t shared its answer.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Now the trick will be to get older females to show up as well (in movie parlance.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colloquial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colloquial. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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