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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 The Ute Indians were the dominant tribe in the region, and Mears was one of the few whites who learned to speak their language fluently. — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026 That kind of information can be broadly helpful, especially when watching a foreign-language show or movie. — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026 As her language skills improved, she was kept in the English learner class. — Emily Woodruff, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026 Throughout her career, Madonna has treated beauty as a language rather than a superficial endpoint. — Sadie Kargman, Allure, 28 Sep. 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
  • Prada presented the skirt as a vocabulary, demonstrating the infinite possibilities that can emerge from an archetypal garment.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The setup is surely familiar to teachers of English as a second language all over the world, but the choice of vocabulary is a bit different from your typical classroom.
    — Will Collins, The Washington Examiner, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of vocabulary
Noun
  • By following an idea through scholarship, students can see how terminology shifts, arguments develop, and disagreements emerge, and how their own writing enters that process.
    — Saurabh Anand, JSTOR Daily, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The result can be a homepage filled with procedures, devices, awards, credentials and medical terminology without a clear reason to keep going.
    — Chris Zelig, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of terminology
Noun
  • In deceptively plain diction, the hurdle of one love relationship provokes an exploration of desire and belonging.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 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
  • New asymmetrical Fieg and Asics branding features on the tongue and mustache, the former of which appears in the latter’s signature font, and a special Kith 15th anniversary graphic graces the insole.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Some Republicans are no longer holding their tongues about their concerns with Collins or his campaign.
    — Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 23 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

Browse Nearby Words

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 1 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on language

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about language

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