linguistic

adjective

liŋ-ˈgwi-stik How to pronounce linguistic (audio)
variants also linguistical
Definition of linguisticnext
as in verbal
of or relating to words or language the age at which children begin to acquire linguistic skills

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 linguistic While Miller pores over Kaczynski’s famous manifesto, correctly concluding that its linguistic quirks will lead the authorities to him, the upshot of Murray’s study four decades before is that the young Kaczynski shows signs of schizophrenia. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026 This dual-language class is also a federally funded Head Start program — long considered a gold standard in early childhood education — and must integrate learning with each child’s cultural and linguistic upbringing. — Kate Sequeira, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026 Depending on your linguistic perspective, that’s either fine or needs to be corrected. — Eythana Miller, The Dial, 24 Sep. 2026 The Roman Empire is closely associated with the Latin language, but the actual linguistic situation in the empire was complex. — Scott Spires, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for linguistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for linguistic
  1. verbal
  2. communicative
  3. lexical
  4. rhetorical
Adjective
  • The cycle of domestic violence can sometimes start with verbal criticism, followed by physical abuse, and then an apology, according to experts.
    — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Serra then analogizes the spatial mediation stimulated by Shift to a verbal operation.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 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
Adjective
  • Further complicating the mustelids’ lexical family tree, the Haida ermine, found on islands off the Pacific Northwest coast, was also once considered a subspecies of the common stoat, but is now recognized as its own species.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Laborious yet lithe lads and lasses have loyally leapt to luminate the lexical labyrinths of logic locking the lucrative lotto, longing to lure the lavish luxury lying latently in local landmarks.
    — Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2026
Definition of lexical
Adjective
  • The latest Piker rhetorical bomb El-Sayed had to dodge was the streamer’s assertion in an interview with Axios, excerpts of which were posted Thursday, that the United States is more of a fomenter of terrorism than al-Qaeda.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
  • By retaining too much of the play’s rhetorical architecture, the film turns a provocative dramatic premise into something closer to an illustrated thesis.
    — Beandrea July, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of rhetorical

Browse Nearby Words

linguist
linguistic
linguistic form
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Cite this Entry

“Linguistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/linguistic. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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