as in dialect
a word or phrase that is used mostly in informal speech; a colloquial expression
His English is very good, but he has trouble understanding certain colloquialisms.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of colloquialism
Kam understood the regional colloquialism assignment!
—
Cindi Andrews and Katie Wissman, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Nov. 2024
The fine line between being relatable to your audience and appearing unprofessional by going against consumer preferences to formality by using slang, colloquialisms, or informalities can potentially damage brand growth with both new and existing consumers.
—Gary Drenik, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024
The colloquialism refers to the rare nature of the actual blue moon.
—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 16 Aug. 2024
Early entrance exams were heavily biased toward American customs and colloquialisms, putting first-generation immigrants at a disadvantage.
—Sarah Stoller / Made By History, TIME, 11 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for colloquialism 
Cindi Andrews and Katie Wissman, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Nov. 2024
The fine line between being relatable to your audience and appearing unprofessional by going against consumer preferences to formality by using slang, colloquialisms, or informalities can potentially damage brand growth with both new and existing consumers.
—Gary Drenik, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024
The colloquialism refers to the rare nature of the actual blue moon.
—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 16 Aug. 2024
Early entrance exams were heavily biased toward American customs and colloquialisms, putting first-generation immigrants at a disadvantage.
—Sarah Stoller / Made By History, TIME, 11 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for colloquialism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colloquialism
Noun
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Director Brady Corbet denied the allegations, saying that stars Adrian Brody and Felicity Jones worked for months with a dialect coach to perfect their characters’ Hungarian accents, and that only the Hungarian portions of the film were adjusted manually using Respeecher technology.—
Zoe G. Phillips,
The Hollywood Reporter,
4 Feb. 2025
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In his interview with Red Shark News, Jancsó said AI was used to tweak certain parts of the Hungarian dialect spoken by stars Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones in The Brutalist for the sake of accuracy.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The world of wellness, especially online, can sometimes be a chaotic mix of terminology and memes.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
10 Feb. 2025
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The Warriors historically don’t practice much at all, so there will be an adjustment period as Butler learns Golden State’s terminology and set plays.—
Danny Emerman,
The Mercury News,
9 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The Academy didn’t seem to mind, awarding the film 13 Oscar nods, the most for any non-English language film in history.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
8 Feb. 2025
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As part of this effort, Mohammad Reza Shah’s government restricted Kurdish cultural expressions, such as the use of the Kurdish language and traditional dress.—
Sefa Secen & Serhun Al / Made by History,
TIME,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Knowing the correct four-word idioms is a sign of education.—
Rachel Chang,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Feb. 2025
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Glover’s score — for rock band, piano and acoustic strings — evokes pop idioms while politely sidestepping direct quotation.—
Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim,
New York Times,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The distinct local vocabulary is sprinkled with Guaraní, an Indigenous language widely spoken in neighboring Paraguay.—
Graciela Mochkofsky,
The New Yorker,
11 Feb. 2025
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Pulp Fiction might be the dictionary of his cinematic vocabulary, offering insights into the language of his other works.—
Paul Fitzgerald,
Rolling Stone,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Plus, since most of the app's content is in Mandarin, subtitles are suddenly rampant — as are posts from Americans who want to learn the language, including by exchanging translations of popular slang phrases with Chinese commenters.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
15 Jan. 2025
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Although challenges remain, future systems trained on greater amounts of non-English data could be capable of discerning subtle differences between dialects and understanding the meaning and cultural context of slang or Internet memes.—
Anne Neuberger,
Foreign Affairs,
15 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near colloquialism
Cite this Entry
“Colloquialism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colloquialism. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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