as in dialect
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Recent Examples of idiolect
Attackers can mimic the distinct idiolect of the target.
—
Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 18 Nov. 2023
That’s where idiolect comes into play.
—Erica Sweeney, Men's Health, 8 Feb. 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
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Dialect coach Erik Singer takes a look at idiolects, better known as the specific way one individual speaks.
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 21 June 2018
Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 18 Nov. 2023
That’s where idiolect comes into play.
—Erica Sweeney, Men's Health, 8 Feb. 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
Sign up for the Backchannel newsletter Movies & TV
Dialect coach Erik Singer takes a look at idiolects, better known as the specific way one individual speaks.
—Jason Parham, WIRED, 21 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for idiolect
Noun
-
Weyman didn’t have long to prepare for the massive character milestone, but emphasized the importance of dialect to his portrayal of the Grey Wanderer.—
Lauren Coates,
Variety,
9 June 2025
-
No More Officers often deal with documents in rare dialects, bad translations or messy handwriting.—
Raghu Para,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
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Unleashing Wood has ushered in an exciting new phase for a widely influential band that has defined a state-of-the-art jazz idiom deeply engaged with other genres.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
23 May 2025
-
Scientists analyzed recordings of three groups of chimpanzees living in the Ivory Coast and found that chimps can combine their hoots, grunts and calls in a similar way to how humans use idioms or change the order of words to build new phrases.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
11 May 2025
Noun
-
Brain rot is thus a strikingly capacious term, enfolding the psychological and cognitive decay wrought by screen addiction, the bacteria-like content that feeds the addiction, and the argot of a generation for whom much of this content is made.—
Jessica Winter,
The New Yorker,
16 Dec. 2024
-
Many of the comments used the argot of the online far right.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
The New Yorker,
18 Aug. 2024
Noun
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Today's teen slang might seem like complete gibberish, but you may be surprised by how many terms echo phrases from the past.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
3 June 2025
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This translates as: The banlieues influence Paris and Paris influences the world (Paname is French slang for the city).—
Tomás Hill López-Menchero,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
Noun
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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
-
And so there’s West Indian patois and language and music and food.—
Vanessa Franko,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The rebrand became an immediate laughingstock, described by critics as out-of-touch corporate jargon.—
Roger Dooley,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
-
The war that Trump is waging is cultural, based not on complex legal jargon but on feelings.—
Grace Byron,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The catchphrases Gómez Bolaños penned have also become ingrained in the vernacular of many countries.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2025
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Outlets including The Wall Street Journal and CNN identified the vernacular for this courtesy: a gimme.—
Matthew Purdy,
New York Times,
17 May 2025
Noun
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In newspaper and wire service parlance, a dateline is the name of a place, typically written in capital letters and followed by an em dash, at the beginning of an article.—
Hailey Branson-Potts,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2025
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In Israeli parlance, the prime minister is a freier—a sucker.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Idiolect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/idiolect. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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