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

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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 That’s where the chaos begins, in this collision of irreconcilable languages, where everyone claims to speak on behalf of everyone else. — Ollivier Pourriol, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026 And how naive of me to believe that language could transcend grief. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026 Successful authors once boasted of the number of languages into which they were translated, but that is no longer seen to be a marker of ubiquity—not because English-language work isn’t read but because the Anglosphere has grown. — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026 Although outlets such as Le Monde publish in English, its French-language coverage may offer more frequent local updates. — Alessia Armenise, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 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
  • Clean, high quality neutral linens do more work than almost any other upgrade, borrowing from the vocabulary of luxury interior design without the price tag.
    — Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Name what is happening and create a common vocabulary for the ecosystem.
    — Bob Pearson, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of vocabulary
Noun
  • Students were learning dates and terminology instead of poetry.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The terminology, the system, the college routine, all those things start to come.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 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
  • Orange graces the sneaker almost entirely uninterrupted through the upper to the translucent midsole, but blue is used for the tongue’s Kobe Sheath logo and the heel Swoosh.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The living room features wide-plank wood floors, tongue-and-groove wood ceilings, a stone fireplace, and a glass wall; the kitchen includes an oversized quartzite island; and a guest suite has a Japanese soaking tub.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of tongue
Noun
  • The reality, of course, is that the Southern accent is not some incorrect version of a national standard but instead a historically separate and unique dialect – or, more accurately, set of dialects.
    — Valerie M. Fridland, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The conflicts are raw and unresolved, and Churchill forces theatergoers to make up their own minds about the characters’ furious dialect.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of dialect
Noun
  • If the writer’s tone and wording are markedly different from the tool’s, the writing may come off as jarring to an audience, especially if that audience is already familiar with the writer’s personal style.
    — Ethan Stone, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Interpretive debates about the wording of Sweeney’s order were punted in August, when a different three-judge panel on the 10th Circuit granted the NCAA a stay of the nationwide eligibility injunction.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of wording
Noun
  • Over the decades, though, Reich’s idiom has become part of the mainstream.
    — Joshua Barone, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of idiom
Noun
  • There’s a level of seriousness that belies the 90-minute comedy film he’s made, which features an imbecilic white rapper who speaks in Caribbean-British slang and a contraption that shoots bullets out of one’s rear end.
    — Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026
  • 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
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 26 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about language

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