colloquial
adjective
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The noun colloquy was first used in English to refer to a conversation or dialogue, and when the adjective colloquial was formed from colloquy it had a similar focus. Over time, however, colloquial developed a more specific meaning related to language that is most suited to informal conversation—and it ultimately garnered an additional, disparaging implication of a style that seems too informal for a situation. Colloquy and colloquial trace back to the Latin verb colloqui, meaning "to converse." Colloqui in turn was formed by combining the prefix com- ("with") and loqui ("to speak"). Other conversational descendants of loqui in English include circumlocution, eloquent, loquacious, soliloquy, and ventriloquism.
Synonyms
Examples of colloquial in a Sentence
Sarah Vowell, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2008
Langston was the merriest and the most colloquial of them all. "Best party I've ever been given!" he said.
—Gwendolyn Brooks, Booklist, 15 Oct. 1993
Mr. Salisbury's firsthand account is written in a fast-paced, chaotic and colloquial style, which often feels confused and hastily set down.
—Susan Shapiro, New York Times Book Review, 10 Sept. 1989
Although in the circle of his friends, where he might be unreserved with safety, he took a free share in conversation, his colloquial talents were not above mediocrity, possessing neither copiousness of ideas, nor fluency of words.
—Thomas Jefferson, letter, 2 Jan. 1814
the new coworker's rudeness soon began—to use a colloquial expression—to rub me the wrong way
a colloquial essay on what makes a marriage successful
Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 2 Sep. 2024
In a country where nonofficial independent media has been largely stifled under Chavismo—the colloquial name given to the quarter century of political control by the late strongman Hugo Chávez and his successor, Maduro—social-media apps play an important role as a communications lifeline.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2024
Gunn was ranked as Australia’s top B-girl, the colloquial term for a breaker, in 2020 and 2021, but did not make the list in 2024.
—Solcyré Burga, TIME, 9 Aug. 2024
What’s that colloquial definition of insanity again?
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 25 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for colloquial 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'colloquial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Colloquial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colloquial. Accessed 8 Sep. 2024.
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colloquial
adjective
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