language

noun

ˈlaŋ-gwij How to pronounce language (audio)
Definition of languagenext
1
as in vocabulary
the stock of words, pronunciation, and grammar used by a people as their basic means of communication Great Britain, the United States, Australia, and other countries where English is the dominant language

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Relevance
2
as in terminology
the special terms or expressions of a particular group or field "love" means "nothing" in the language of tennis

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in diction
the way in which something is put into words we're finding the language of the legal documents to be tough going

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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 language Religion has harmed many; people fear proselytizing; soul language can sound fuzzy or exclusionary; literary culture prizes the secular and intellectual. — Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026 Unsurprisingly, the tone-deaf and regressive nature of Beijing’s policies and language not only has had little impact but is also worsening China’s gender relations. — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026 The association later apologized for the language used in the letter and walked back its request for assistance from the federal government. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026 Mo, who is from Hong Kong, studied at the University of California, Berkeley and was a TV reporter for a Chinese-language television station in San Francisco before joining Stefani’s team in 2025. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for language
Recent Examples of Synonyms for language
  1. vocabulary
  2. terminology
  3. diction
  4. tongue
  5. dialect
  6. wording
  7. idiom
  8. slang
Noun
  • The title comes from a phrase that became part of his creative vocabulary and began appearing in sketches whenever an absurd situation called for a perfectly incredulous response.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Under Quotidien’s famously flattering lights, Bieber’s signature beauty vocabulary came into particularly sharp focus.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of vocabulary
Noun
  • For specialized work, Voibe includes Developer Mode and custom vocabulary for coding and technical terminology.
    — StackCommerce Team, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Across the country, states use different terminology to refer to these facilities.
    — Paige Pfleger, ProPublica, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of terminology
Noun
  • The clarity in the diction may suggest both a way of absorbing difficult emotion and a way of keeping it at bay.
    — Colm Tóibín, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Lead actor Anthony Ippolito, who landed the part with an unsolicited self-tape, disappears into the garbled diction and hangdog stubbornness of a young Stallone without ever coming off as a mere impression of a person.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of diction
Noun
  • The President of the United States (John Goodman) and his cabinet of hawkish generals, gargoyle-ish officials, and speaking-in-tongues spiritual advisors gather at the oilman’s house to discuss next steps.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2026
  • His tongue tended to home in on the pocket behind his upper right incisors.
    — Tom Drury, Harpers Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of tongue
Noun
  • Documenting many varieties is a way to not just share the language, but to illustrate how dialects of Pennsylvania Dutch differ and maybe even fill in each other’s gaps.
    — Eythana Miller, The Dial, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Italy is a unique country where every city has its own identity, architecture, traditions, flavors, dialects and even different ways of life.
    — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of dialect
Noun
  • The June agreement collapsed after disputes over the memo's vague wording, including language related to who would control the strait.
    — Ava Pukatch, NPR, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Just two years ago, Microsoft launched its Copilot+ PC brand to identify AI-first computers with exclusive artificial intelligence features, but that wording is nowhere to be found on recent Microsoft devices or OEM products.
    — James Peckham, PC Magazine, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of wording
Noun
  • The first Velvet Underground album, the mid-period Beatles, Kinks, and Creedence Clearwater Revival records, with enough time, seem almost like different components to the same idiom.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Cinema is, after all, a language, and Belgian filmmakers come from a country built on the need to understand language as a bridge—between its regions, its people, and its idioms.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of idiom
Noun
  • McCaffrey and the 49ers will return to the United States after their win and lesson in Australian slang to play the Miami Dolphins in Week 2.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The script itself is filled with the language of its time and place, including Berliner gutter slang and high-society clichés, casino speech and capitalist jargon, spoken Yiddish and literary German.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of slang

Phrases Containing language

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laneways
language
languages
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Cite this Entry

“Language.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/language. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about language

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