as in languages
the special terms or expressions of a particular group or field
the promotional team for the new computer used a dialect full of acronyms that the press found difficult to follow
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Recent Examples of dialects
Each one is overflowing with the familiar sights of families taking a passeggiata, or stroll, the aromatic smells of fresh pasta and pizza napoletana, and the musical sounds of the Italian language and its many regional dialects.
—
Giovanna Caravetta, Travel + Leisure, 17 Jan. 2026
From that point, she was infatuated with Appalachian and southern dialects.
—Annie Joy Williams, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2026
The school district, where at least 20 languages and dialects are spoken, has higher high school graduation and college attendance rates than the state and national average, and one of Nebraska’s biggest marching bands.
—Jesse Bedayn, Fortune, 22 Dec. 2025
Radio is one way that’s done, to some extent; let’s also popularize getting local stories told in local languages and dialects.
—Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 2025
Its mingling of high and low characters, settings, and dialects trampled on the rules of classical drama and inaugurated a German dramatic tradition.
—Merve Emre, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
But Simeon Silverio, former publisher of the San Diego Asian Journal, said Bayani reflects only one of many Filipino dialects and would fail to represent the country’s diverse cultural groups, each of which has its own word for hero.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Oct. 2025
Studies have found regional dialects of birds’ songs and evidence that some birds learn songs from their parents while still in the shell.
—JSTOR Daily, 10 Oct. 2025
Throughout a career spanning more than three decades, Garg sang in dozens of languages and dialects, becoming a powerhouse in the Assamese, Bengali and Hindi-language film and music industries.
—Angela Yang, NBC news, 21 Sep. 2025
Giovanna Caravetta, Travel + Leisure, 17 Jan. 2026
From that point, she was infatuated with Appalachian and southern dialects.
—Annie Joy Williams, The Atlantic, 4 Jan. 2026
The school district, where at least 20 languages and dialects are spoken, has higher high school graduation and college attendance rates than the state and national average, and one of Nebraska’s biggest marching bands.
—Jesse Bedayn, Fortune, 22 Dec. 2025
Radio is one way that’s done, to some extent; let’s also popularize getting local stories told in local languages and dialects.
—Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 2025
Its mingling of high and low characters, settings, and dialects trampled on the rules of classical drama and inaugurated a German dramatic tradition.
—Merve Emre, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
But Simeon Silverio, former publisher of the San Diego Asian Journal, said Bayani reflects only one of many Filipino dialects and would fail to represent the country’s diverse cultural groups, each of which has its own word for hero.
—Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Oct. 2025
Studies have found regional dialects of birds’ songs and evidence that some birds learn songs from their parents while still in the shell.
—JSTOR Daily, 10 Oct. 2025
Throughout a career spanning more than three decades, Garg sang in dozens of languages and dialects, becoming a powerhouse in the Assamese, Bengali and Hindi-language film and music industries.
—Angela Yang, NBC news, 21 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dialects
Noun
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The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026
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Ya Tseen’s Stand on My Shoulders sounds like waking up disoriented in someone else’s dream—voices drift in and out, shifting between languages, and the psych-rock haze never quite resolves into clarity.—
Petala Ironcloud,
Pitchfork,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The discovery of language skills in great apes — various gorillas and chimps learned substantial vocabularies in sign language or symbols — and that of tool use across the animal kingdom have, over the years, chipped away at the idea that there is any single ingredient that makes humans unique.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
13 Jan. 2026
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Children who are read to from under a year old often have larger and more complex vocabularies than their peers by the age of three.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Like fellow North Carolinians Wednesday and MJ Lenderman—local stars descended from the likes of Lucinda Williams and Drive-By Truckers—Dowdy carves complex new visions into the idioms of his upbringing.—
Jenn Pelly,
Time,
4 Dec. 2025
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For decades, the Grisons had printed textbooks in five Romansh idioms—a baroque solution that invited a more rational one.—
Simon Akam,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dialects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dialects. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
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