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 The Indigenous ecovillage of Ekvn-Yefolecv was founded, in 2013, to revitalize the language, culture, and stewardship practices of the Maskoke people, who were forcibly removed from central Alabama nearly two centuries before. — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 The league suspended Greenlaw, determining his aggressive post-game behavior violated Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1(b), which strictly prohibits the use of abusive, threatening, or insulting language or gestures toward game officials. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026 The song marked Musgraves’ first full original Spanish-language song. — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026 Part of the Blue Island discourse was predicated on the language some Black artists sometimes use to express their frustration around their art being inaccurately labeled. — Kyle Denis, Billboard, 12 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
  • The action and its effective date The terminology in a Missouri license-suspension notice can indicate the type of administrative action involved and the process associated with it.
    — Karen Koehler, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Medical bills are often impenetrable documents littered with complex codes and terminology, and sorting through charges and details about insurance coverage can feel intimidating, if not downright paralyzing.
    — Jennifer Schlinger, The Conversation, 6 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
  • The heel of the shoe and its tongue tag also feature co-branding with Nigo and j-hope’s names on them and, instead of standard cotton laces, the sneakers have braided, multicolor ropes that pick up on the overall color scheme.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2026
  • And at Mugler, the mood was set before the first look appeared, with screens beaming erotic footage that included mating snails, sweaty skin, a woman’s tongue and two people kissing.
    — Amy Francombe, Vogue, 9 Oct. 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
  • Results dropped significantly for mathematics, where writers have fewer choices in wording.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The wording of a handbook, the employer’s practices, and the circumstances surrounding the job can all be relevant.
    — William Jones, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 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 14 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about language

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