as in dialect
the special terms or expressions of a particular group or field
the medical patois that the hospital staffers used among themselves was incomprehensible to me
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of patois
And so there’s West Indian patois and language and music and food.
—
Vanessa Franko, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2025
There are countless examples like these, in which English scaffolding has adapted to the demands and the cultural heritage of its speakers, from Jamaican patois to Tok Pisin, of New Guinea.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Instead, viewers are immersed in Millie’s Kingston, with dialogue spoken almost entirely in Jamaican patois, where opportunities are limited, gang violence persists and whiteness is still put on a pedestal.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 25 Nov. 2024
Casting themselves as high priests of pop culture, the duo encapsulated gay-millennial preoccupations and patois.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for patois
Vanessa Franko, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2025
There are countless examples like these, in which English scaffolding has adapted to the demands and the cultural heritage of its speakers, from Jamaican patois to Tok Pisin, of New Guinea.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Instead, viewers are immersed in Millie’s Kingston, with dialogue spoken almost entirely in Jamaican patois, where opportunities are limited, gang violence persists and whiteness is still put on a pedestal.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 25 Nov. 2024
Casting themselves as high priests of pop culture, the duo encapsulated gay-millennial preoccupations and patois.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for patois
Recent Examples of Synonyms for patois
Noun
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In it, Italian peasants Matteo and Natale discuss this same cosmic occurrence in the rustic Paduan dialect of the time.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
3 July 2025
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Around the table, his family speak the local dialect of the Veneto region.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
30 June 2025
Noun
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Over time, the confusing terminology—agentic AI, agent AI, generative AI—will fade.—
Shaz Khan,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
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Five other experts that Popular Science corresponded with for this article all agree on this ‘crisis’ terminology.—
Lauren Leffer,
Popular Science,
29 May 2025
Noun
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During the Cold War, popular culture provided Americans with images of (and a vocabulary for) nuclear war.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
10 July 2025
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But at the start of the project, which launched in 2023, their vocabularies differed dramatically.—
Adam Hurly,
Robb Report,
8 July 2025
Noun
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On the campaign trail, the president spent time courting faith leaders throughout the country, often refusing to soften his language in those venues as well.—
Lalee Ibssa,
ABC News,
14 July 2025
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If the discussion in the paragraph above sounds a bit dense consider that this language is paraphrased from the actual OBBBA bill.—
Martin Shenkman,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
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And June 2025 brought a fresh batch of slang that's either charming, confusing, or mildly alarming.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
8 July 2025
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Words change meaning over time, slang infiltrates the mainstream, and sometimes, a little creative license is acceptable.—
Jerry Weissman,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Patois.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/patois. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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