as in mode
a distinctive way of putting ideas into words
in the poet's somewhat affected locution, word order is often reversed and so we have "the sea serene"
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Recent Examples of locution
Confucius says—an old-fashioned locution, perhaps, but appropriate here—never to take interest in feats of strength.
—
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
That archly strangled locution, the ceaseless scorn: the vendor’s voice nags at the former Dean Street boy.
—Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 27 Sep. 2023
That mysterious locution and the lack of additional details raised the possibility that something more than the sniffles might be ailing the Boss.
—Stuart Munro, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Aug. 2023
In diplomatic memorandums, officials avoided the term military base; the preferred locution was joint communications facility.
—Cullen Murphy, The Atlantic, 15 June 2022
With its mess of divergent voices, picture-poems, and eccentric locutions, the result is baffling, beautiful, and always fascinatingly Notley.
—David Wallace, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2020
President Lyndon Baines Johnson was a retro Texan by birth and locution.
—Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, 2 Oct. 2019
Consider common appeals to allyship and altruism; such locutions convey a sort of optional quality, a moralistic tone, and unreliable trendiness.
—Astra Taylor, The New Republic, 26 Aug. 2019
On this night, Dylan made every word count, and sang with a blues master’s locution.
—Greg Kot, chicagotribune.com, 31 Oct. 2019
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
That archly strangled locution, the ceaseless scorn: the vendor’s voice nags at the former Dean Street boy.
—Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 27 Sep. 2023
That mysterious locution and the lack of additional details raised the possibility that something more than the sniffles might be ailing the Boss.
—Stuart Munro, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Aug. 2023
In diplomatic memorandums, officials avoided the term military base; the preferred locution was joint communications facility.
—Cullen Murphy, The Atlantic, 15 June 2022
With its mess of divergent voices, picture-poems, and eccentric locutions, the result is baffling, beautiful, and always fascinatingly Notley.
—David Wallace, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2020
President Lyndon Baines Johnson was a retro Texan by birth and locution.
—Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, 2 Oct. 2019
Consider common appeals to allyship and altruism; such locutions convey a sort of optional quality, a moralistic tone, and unreliable trendiness.
—Astra Taylor, The New Republic, 26 Aug. 2019
On this night, Dylan made every word count, and sang with a blues master’s locution.
—Greg Kot, chicagotribune.com, 31 Oct. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for locution
Noun
-
The 71-footer is the first production yacht with Volvo Penta’s IPS hybrid-electric propulsion, which aims to reduce emissions by 40 percent via four navigation modes.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
10 June 2025
-
All upgrade Roku modes will now support Bluetooth Headphone Mode for private listening, and even the entry-level Select model will join the more premium models in enjoying faster and more responsive menus.—
John Archer,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
Noun
-
An etiquette expert and the author of a new book about manners is causing plenty of online chatter about the proper way to eat a banana and other common handheld foods.—
Peter Burke,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2025
-
Patching and firmware updates must be applied in a timely manner.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
The color is easy to accessorize, works with any design style, and layers beautifully with neutrals and other colors.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 June 2025
-
Our team of animators also had to be trained to make realistic drawings of the human body, as most of them came from animations with a cartoonish style.—
Kevin Giraud,
Variety,
7 June 2025
Noun
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Break The Pattern By Showing Up As Yourself In B2B, when everything starts to sound the same, that's your cue to break the pattern, shift the tone, challenge the format and rethink the angle.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
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With charming visuals and a celebratory tone, the film offers a gentle allegory on inclusion and self-acceptance.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
9 June 2025
Noun
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In that same vein, Golisano gave roughly $400 million in unrestricted gifts to 125 different nonprofits in New York and Florida last year.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
12 June 2025
-
In the vein of other revolutionary hard tech companies like SpaceX and Tesla, JetZero set out to disrupt old-school incumbents with a blend of lofty vision and aggressive development and manufacturing timeline.—
Calif.
Senior Correspondent,
Time,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Locution.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/locution. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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