1
as in vernacular
used in or suitable for speech and not formal writing
the new coworker's rudeness soon began—to use a colloquial expression—to rub me the wrong way
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in conversational
having the style and content of everyday conversation
a colloquial essay on what makes a marriage successful
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in colloquialism
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of colloquial
Jill Barton, The Conversation, 24 Jan. 2025
What is a Green Beret? Green Beret is the colloquial name used for members of the U.S. Army Special Forces.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2025
Purple group — colloquial suffixes (CORE, GATE, MANIA, PILLED)
No perfect game, but that's nine wins in a row.
—Kris Holt, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
To push the colloquial gold envelope even further, Swift added a chain belt.
—Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colloquial
Adjective
Gorsuch used his short opinion on the dry topic of debt collection to declare a more colloquial style.
—Jill Barton, The Conversation, 24 Jan. 2025
What is a Green Beret? Green Beret is the colloquial name used for members of the U.S. Army Special Forces.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2025
Purple group — colloquial suffixes (CORE, GATE, MANIA, PILLED)
No perfect game, but that's nine wins in a row.
—Kris Holt, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
To push the colloquial gold envelope even further, Swift added a chain belt.
—Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colloquial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colloquial
Adjective
-
This therapist speaks in a very specific kind of vernacular.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
27 Mar. 2025
-
With Elordi’s star on the rise, that can only be a matter of time, even if the slangy vernacular of the wartime sections will require subtitles.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
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This could involve helping systems learn colloquialisms and proper usages of terms.—
Kathy Kristof,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Mar. 2025
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You would be forgiven for assuming this a playful colloquialism, perhaps revealing a tenderness to the hunt.—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Bloomberg has gone so far as to report that Zaslav is in early, informal talks regarding potential successors.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2025
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The expectation has always been that the president would behave in a certain way, abiding by a generations-long yet informal agreement about the role and discretion of the administrative state.—
Jay Cost,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The panel did not stray from their earlier guesses for him, throwing out familiar names like Dave Matthews, Daryl Hall, and Pat Monahan of Train once more.—
Lauren Huff,
EW.com,
10 Apr. 2025
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There was also a memorandum of agreement about the move signed on Monday by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting SSA Commissioner Leland Dudek, according to one source familiar.—
Aaron Navarro,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Swedes actually have an idiom for this phenomenon.—
Anna Moeslein,
Parents,
28 Feb. 2025
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All kinds of regional idioms, local expressions, and culturally specific terms might fade out.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
29 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Pair it with sandals and sneakers for a casual outing, or zhuzh it up with wedges or flats for a more formal occasion.—
Clara McMahon,
People.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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As dating moves from casual texts to deeper emotional investment, people begin to ask themselves important internal questions, often without realizing it.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Rocket Lab and Stoke Space join SpaceX, ULA, and Blue Origin as eligible launch providers for lower-priority national security satellites, a segment of missions known as Phase 3 Lane 1 in the parlance of the Space Force.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
28 Mar. 2025
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In the parlance of mountaineers, those are natural events over which climbers have no control, such as rockfall, that can cost them their lives.—
John Meyer,
Denver Post,
25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But the debates over the more gossipy anecdotes obscure the larger trends that surface through the book.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2025
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In public, President Trump is blunt, salty, mean, flattering and gossipy.—
Alex Isenstadt,
Axios,
16 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Colloquial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colloquial. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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