lexical

adjective

ˈlek-si-kəl How to pronounce lexical (audio)
Definition of lexicalnext
as in linguistic
of or relating to words or language a dictionary provides lexical information—it tells you what the word "cat" means, not all there is to know about cats

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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 lexical Sometimes a word has to serve time in lexical purgatory before it can be admitted to the Big Book. — Louis Menand, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025 Luvell Anderson, head of the philosophy department at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, has written extensively on the lexical category of slurs. — Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 6 Dec. 2025 The appearance of these five lexical inventions marks the first time that humankind ever attached words to this invisible and magical mystery. — Big Think, 18 Nov. 2025 Barrett designed a reading program to help flag emerging lexical items and turbocharge additions, tripling the volume of new words added in the site’s periodic updates over the course of a year. — Stefan Fatsis, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lexical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lexical
  1. linguistic
  2. verbal
  3. communicative
Adjective
  • As explored in my recent book, this dialect formed from linguistic variation that came in with colonial-era settlers from different places and stations.
    — Valerie M. Fridland, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
  • This poll is part of an ongoing project exploring the views of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, who are usually not highlighted in other surveys because of small sample sizes and lack of linguistic representation.
    — Terry Tang, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of linguistic
Adjective
  • Parks workers who don't comply with the new policy could face discipline, officials said, adding, the policy also instructs them to not engage in any verbal or physical altercations with ICE agents.
    — Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The final sprint to Tuesday's midterm elections has kicked up a flurry of headlines about attack ads slung by candidates and verbal jabs thrown by current and former occupants of the White House.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of verbal
Adjective
  • Through the administration’s embrace (and extensive personal leveraging) of crypto’s potential, crypto and retail speculation are increasingly being woven into the fabric of communicative and cultural spaces.
    — Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The arrival ceremony suggested that others understood the communicative potential of clothes at such an event, too.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of communicative

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lexica
lexical
lexicographer
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Cite this Entry

“Lexical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lexical. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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