1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

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 terms of an authorization typically identify the provider or entity permitted to disclose information, which records are included, the date range, the recipient, and the expiration and revocation language. — Matthew Kayser, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026 In Italy, style, lifestyle, creativity, craftsmanship, art, design and daily rituals are part of the same cultural language. — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 21 Sep. 2026 Despite a surge in demand for Ukrainian-language books following Russia’s 2022 invasion, the destruction is setting the industry back — and the losses go beyond money. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026 Around this time, psychedelics began reentering mainstream American life, although largely through the language of mental health. — Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 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
  • The number quickly became part of the national vocabulary, printed on memorials, spoken at ceremonies and repeated every September as the number of FDNY firefighters who died at the World Trade Center.
    — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
  • But after September 11, Islam was thrust into the center of the country’s political imagination largely through the vocabulary of terrorism.
    — Ayman M. Mohyeldin, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of vocabulary
Noun
  • While the terminology can vary based on a deal’s parameters, naming rights, title and presenting sponsorships are present in three of Europe’s Big Five soccer leagues.
    — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • That requires someone who can teach those ideas and terminologies to players who learn in different ways and at different speeds.
    — David Aldridge, New York Times, 10 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
  • Backcountry Tiny Homes The interior measures 400 sq ft (37 sq m), which is around the same as a studio apartment, and has an attractive finish made up of natural tongue-and-groove knotty pine on the walls and ceiling, plus hardwood floors.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2026
  • His selection of proteins for street tacos include favorites like beef tripe, cow tongue, cow head, suadero, birria, pollo al pastor, carnitas and chorizo.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of tongue
Noun
  • Its traditional dialect, Brusselian, was the only language that was neither just Germanic nor just Romance, but both Germanic and Romance.
    — Benjamin Moser, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Owner and chef Stefania Marchesini, who fished professionally herself for 11 years, pays a premium to local fishermen, especially for soft-shell crabs known in the local dialect as moeche.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of dialect
Noun
  • Nearly 80% of likely voters say 14 statewide propositions and dense wording make the ballot overwhelming, shortly before mail-in voting begins for more than 23 million Californians.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Clumsy wording and odd formatting used to give fraudulent emails away.
    — Pawan Jain, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of wording
Noun
  • 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
  • The multigenerational family epic is one of my favorite kinds of novels, and Min Jin Lee is a master of that idiom.
    — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 8 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Language.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/language. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on language

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about language

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nemesis

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All