as in colloquial
used in or suitable for speech and not formal writing
slang words are usually considered nonliterary
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonliterary
Adjective
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Its name refers to the colloquial term once used for Papaya—paw-paw.
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The Solons name refers to an ancient Greek lawmaker, whose name later became a colloquial term for wise legislators, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
Adjective
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His Bernstein had visceral, vernacular punch; his Verdi was ardent and spry; his Britten had the right textural grit; his Mozart unfurled with complicated grace.
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That’s for sure when people speak patois, a vernacular version of English that’s based on a culture’s intonation.
Adjective
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Here the enduring wisdom of Indian spiritual philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti, Ojai’s informal patron saint, serves even to hold a recent incursion of ultra-rich to account.
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These employee-to-owner pipelines and apprenticeship-to-owner transitions marked informal forms of employee ownership.
Cite this Entry
“Nonliterary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonliterary. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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