as in colloquial
used in or suitable for speech and not formal writing
writes essays in a very easy-to-read, vernacular style
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in idiom
Related Words
2
as in binomial
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of vernacular
Pankaj Mishra, The New York Review of Books, 13 Mar. 2026
Language, Chandler protests, lives and flourishes in bent rules, vernacular expressions—the unruly stuff of life.
—Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Fontana would write dialogue for the character in American vernacular, and Akinnuoye-Agbaje would translate it into Nigerian pidgin.
—Molly Lambert, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vernacular
Adjective
Translated into many vernacular languages, the poetry and philosophy of Firdausi, Attar, Rumi, Hafez, Sa‘di, Nizami, Ibn Sina, and Nizam al-Mulk assumed a canonical authority across Asia.
—Pankaj Mishra, The New York Review of Books, 13 Mar. 2026
Language, Chandler protests, lives and flourishes in bent rules, vernacular expressions—the unruly stuff of life.
—Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Noun
Maré is a model positive-impact project using tourism to preserve both the flora and fauna here—the Atlantic Forest is one of the most biodiverse biomes on the planet—and the disappearing vernacular of traditional Brazilian design.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Fontana would write dialogue for the character in American vernacular, and Akinnuoye-Agbaje would translate it into Nigerian pidgin.
—Molly Lambert, Vulture, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vernacular
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vernacular
Adjective
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Its name refers to the colloquial term once used for Papaya—paw-paw.—
Kelsey Glennon,
Southern Living,
30 May 2026
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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.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
Noun
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The Suez Canal incident of March 2021 revealed the same pattern in a different idiom.—
Dr. Aditya Vikram Kashyap,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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Probably because at the time many of the time signatures and chordal progressions that Miles used were over the head of a young guitar player still functioning in the blues and folk idioms.—
Steve Baltin,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2026
Noun
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Whatever its origin story, it might be argued that as the shortest binomial composed entirely of vowels, Ia io gives scientists reason enough to shout hurrah.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 May 2026
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There was no third option in this binomial exercise.—
Chantel Jennings,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The exhibit’s title is derived from a Spanish colloquialism.—
Uwa Ede-Osifo,
Dallas Morning News,
13 Feb. 2026
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Ways to learn a new language Apps are a good way to learn the basics and proper pronunciation, but many colloquialisms, abbreviations and grammatically informal expressions used by fluent or native speakers aren’t taught on apps or in language classes.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
12 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Although they’re often called mobile homes or trailers, that’s really a misnomer because their owners can’t easily relocate them.—
Erin Gaede,
The Conversation,
3 June 2026
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Family time was no longer a misnomer chez Bixby.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Noun
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In corporate parlance, a spin-off occurs when a company creates a separate, independent business entity from one of its existing divisions.—
Rob Nikolewski,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 June 2026
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The Space Force has inked contracts with emerging space companies—non-traditional primes, in military contracting parlance—to buy services, manufacture satellites and payloads, and launch rockets.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Churning out lazy, uninspired movies no longer works, even if they're attached to a previously important brand name.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
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Research into consumer intentions when considering a smartphone purchase highlights the importance of technical specifications, price, brand name and color.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Noun
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Wood saw regionalism as the New Deal in visual form: Both affirmed the country’s varied livelihoods and landscapes.—
John P. Murphy,
ARTnews.com,
5 Apr. 2026
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Just don’t let the deniers know that regionalism and sustainability are essentially one and the same.—
Richard Olsen,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vernacular.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vernacular. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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