as in dialect
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of idiolect
In this way, the Delta method captures features that vary according to their authors’ idiolects.
—
Karolina Rudnicka, Scientific American, 9 July 2025
Attackers can mimic the distinct idiolect of the target.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 18 Nov. 2023
Butler appears to have picked up Elvis’s idiolect, Howell says.
—Erica Sweeney, Men's Health, 8 Feb. 2023
Sherif’s music exists in the space between autobiographical and his own idiolect.
—Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 3 June 2022
And then there’s his inborn ear for every shade of human babble, here a transcendent four-hander, there a screwball travelogue, everywhere argot and idiolect and argument.
—New York Times, 23 Apr. 2020
His writing conveys an extraordinary ear for accent, rhythm, and idiolect.
—Maya Jasanoff, The New Republic, 22 Aug. 2019
Kathleen is relentlessly animated and quick-witted, with thick tangerine hair, steely eyes, and an endearing personal idiolect that suggests both an autodidactic reading in philosophy and economics and the gusty crudity of the merchant marine.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, WIRED, 18 June 2018
Karolina Rudnicka, Scientific American, 9 July 2025
Attackers can mimic the distinct idiolect of the target.
—Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 18 Nov. 2023
Butler appears to have picked up Elvis’s idiolect, Howell says.
—Erica Sweeney, Men's Health, 8 Feb. 2023
Sherif’s music exists in the space between autobiographical and his own idiolect.
—Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 3 June 2022
And then there’s his inborn ear for every shade of human babble, here a transcendent four-hander, there a screwball travelogue, everywhere argot and idiolect and argument.
—New York Times, 23 Apr. 2020
His writing conveys an extraordinary ear for accent, rhythm, and idiolect.
—Maya Jasanoff, The New Republic, 22 Aug. 2019
Kathleen is relentlessly animated and quick-witted, with thick tangerine hair, steely eyes, and an endearing personal idiolect that suggests both an autodidactic reading in philosophy and economics and the gusty crudity of the merchant marine.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, WIRED, 18 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idiolect
Noun
-
Steven Gebelin, who represented Puig in 2021 and 2022, testified at trial that his then-client tried to be helpful during the interview but, because the interpreter’s Spanish dialect differed from Puig’s, his answers were translated poorly.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Puig’s former attorney Steven Gebelin testified that during the January 2022 interview, Puig tried to be helpful in answering the investigators’ questions and the interpreter struggled with Puig’s Spanish dialect, according to the New York Times.—
Jaimie Ding,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But as the practice evolved, eager writers like Jefferson and John Adams (but not George Washington or James Madison, for instance), gravitated to a richer, sympathy-bearing idiom, which no doubt bled into intimate speech, now lost.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
All's fair in love and war — an idiom that Cressida (second from left, played by Jessica Madsen) and her meddling mama would do well to remember while courting the Prince!—
Sophie Dodd,
PEOPLE,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The filles, mostly from larger cities, arrived with their own urban argots.—
Ann Foster,
JSTOR Daily,
9 July 2025
-
The basic technology is complicated enough, but the subculture—with its own particular argot and decorum—is what’s truly forbidding.—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2025
Noun
-
Blending Milanese slang with French and Arabic, his rhymes should bring a fresh energy to the event.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Bad Bunny reached global success singing in Spanish, popularizing Puerto Rican slang across the world and putting a spotlight on the plight of Puerto Rican people.—
Saba Hamedy,
NBC news,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Real Miami-Dade officers, often occupying background roles, interacted in character during those stretches as well, sustaining the casual banter and shared patois of a working unit.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Elliott spits her verses in patois, freeing up space on the track for the drums to get some before Cartel and M.I.A. slide through. 41.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Vulture,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
At that point, the officer called in a 10-85 — police jargon for assistance needed.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2026
-
These abstracts can be developed with journal editors to help authors avoid unnecessary jargon and be finalized after the peer review process to avoid having experts overly criticize the generalization of the work.—
Kirstin R.W. Matthews,
STAT,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
From brushing ice in curling to flying down an ice track headfirst in skeleton, the Winter Olympics are home to some unique and exciting sports that feature uncommon vernacular.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Occasionally, Volpe and Bernstorff’s script wants for a more precise, flavorful local vernacular.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In its latest initiative, Berlin’s legendary Kino Babylon will host a showcase of recent notable titles from the Guadalajara Festival, FICG in popular parlance, and headed from 2019 by Estrella Araiza.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
31 Jan. 2026
-
It was once said, for instance, that Disney’s cast members — staff, in park parlance — would be able to recognize if someone’s personality leaned resistance, First Order or rogue.—
Todd Martens,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Idiolect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idiolect. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
