1
as in linguistic
of or relating to words or language the child didn't yet have the verbal skills needed to tell the doctor about the pain he was experiencing

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2
as in oral
made or carried on through speaking rather than in writing a verbal agreement carries less force than a written contract

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Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of verbal Duckworth, an avid cruiser himself, says to make a verbal agreement (before the ship leaves the port) that family members are free to explore on their own, whether on board or on an off-board excursion. Stacey Lastoe, Southern Living, 22 Dec. 2024 Meanwhile, Stan Edgar stands up to Homelander in a rare verbal drubbing that shows the only way to one-up the psychotic Supe is through words. Gord Magill, Newsweek, 22 Dec. 2024 Thompson and Montgomery got into a verbal argument in the parking lot just outside of the Lounge, police stated in the announcement. Fox19 Digital Staff, The Enquirer, 24 Dec. 2024 By expanding this approach to online chats or chatbots, customers can ask questions and receive verbal human-like responses. Ilya Lashch, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for verbal 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for verbal
Adjective
  • This meant that the writing was image-based rather than linguistic.
    Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
  • This is a popular linguistic relativity theory and is generally referred to as Whorfianism or the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (partially associated with anthropologist Benjamin Whorf).
    Lance Eliot, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Those minors also must be given an oral and written description of the incident, including who approved the disciplinary actions and the rationale behind them.
    Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Orange County Register, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Further reductions followed licensure of the Sabin oral polio vaccine in 1961.
    Arthur L. Kellermann, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Someone who isn't communicative and can't face difficult discussions might resort to passive aggressiveness instead of self-reflection.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
  • And being more communicative even in my family, being more open, vulnerable and being a little better with my words of affirmation. Martin: Did your parents embrace that part of American culture?
    Rachel Martin, NPR, 24 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Giving them physical form, Byers doubles down on Rabelais’ rhetorical position but also destabilizes it by materializing the books’ nonexistence.
    Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
  • Experts say the trick is a little rhetorical jiu-jitsu, choosing your destination carefully and knowing what to say if someone tries to dress you down.
    Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 27 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near verbal

Cite this Entry

“Verbal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/verbal. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

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