as in linguistic
of or relating to words or language
a dictionary provides lexical information—it tells you what the word "cat" means, not all there is to know about cats
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Recent Examples of lexical
Russian speakers in the experiment proved faster than English speakers at distinguishing shades that corresponded to that lexical distinction.
—
Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Practically, then, the translator reads with an eye to understanding the affordances offered by a text—to re-creating its potentialities, rather than merely offering a lexical equivalent.
—Max Norman, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024
The lexical gap, where untranslatable words are found in one language but not others, can be easily filled by simply borrowing these words, OED executive editor Danica Salazar wrote in the update.
—Peter Guo, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2025
Russian speakers in the experiment proved faster than English speakers at distinguishing shades that corresponded to that lexical distinction.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for lexical
Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Practically, then, the translator reads with an eye to understanding the affordances offered by a text—to re-creating its potentialities, rather than merely offering a lexical equivalent.
—Max Norman, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2024
The lexical gap, where untranslatable words are found in one language but not others, can be easily filled by simply borrowing these words, OED executive editor Danica Salazar wrote in the update.
—Peter Guo, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2025
Russian speakers in the experiment proved faster than English speakers at distinguishing shades that corresponded to that lexical distinction.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for lexical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lexical
Adjective
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This strident belief that languages shape our thinking is referred to as the linguistic relativity hypothesis, which is also informally known as Whorfianism, see my detailed discussion at the link here.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
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Critics argue that the rules prohibit linguistic evolution and self-expression.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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And also, similar to the suggestion for No. 1, consider creating safe words or a verbal challenge/response procedure.—
Perry Carpenter,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
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But despite months of verbal support from state leaders, no new funding has materialized.—
Leslie S. Richards,
Chicago Tribune,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Those transported to the hospital were conscious and communicative at the time of transport, according to Diablo Valley College.—
Nadine El-Bawab,
ABC News,
24 May 2025
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Jen is super communicative, popular, and wise, linking her spiritual vibe with the Air sign.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
14 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lexical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lexical. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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