colloquial
[ kuh-loh-kwee-uhl ]
adjective
characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or writing; informal.
involving or using conversation.
Origin of colloquial
1synonym study For colloquial
1, 2. Colloquial, conversational, informal refer to types of speech or to usages not on a formal level. Colloquial is often mistakenly used with a connotation of disapproval, as if it meant “vulgar” or “bad” or “incorrect” usage, whereas it is merely a familiar style used in speaking and writing. Conversational refers to a style used in the oral exchange of ideas, opinions, etc.: an easy conversational style. Informal means without formality, without strict attention to set forms, unceremonious: an informal manner of speaking; it describes the ordinary, everyday language of cultivated speakers.
Opposites for colloquial
Other words from colloquial
- col·lo·qui·al·ly, adverb
- col·lo·qui·al·ness, col·lo·qui·al·i·ty, noun
- qua·si-col·lo·qui·al, adjective
- qua·si-col·lo·qui·al·ly, adverb
- sem·i·col·lo·qui·al, adjective
- sem·i·col·lo·qui·al·ly, adverb
- un·col·lo·qui·al, adjective
- un·col·lo·qui·al·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for colloquial
colloquial
/ (kəˈləʊkwɪəl) /
adjective
of or relating to conversation
denoting or characterized by informal or conversational idiom or vocabulary: Compare informal
Derived forms of colloquial
- colloquially, adverb
- colloquialness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse