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colloquial - 6 dictionary results
col⋅lo⋅qui⋅al
[kuh-loh-kwee-uh
l] 
–adjective
| 1. | characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or writing; informal. |
| 2. | involving or using conversation. |
Related forms:
col⋅lo⋅qui⋅al⋅ly, adverb
col⋅lo⋅qui⋅al⋅ness, col⋅lo⋅qui⋅al⋅i⋅ty, noun
Synonyms:
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.
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.
Antonyms:
1. formal.
1. formal.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To colloquial
| col·lo·qui·al (kə-lō'kwē-əl) adj.
[From colloquy.] col·lo'qui·al n., col·lo'qui·al·ly adv., col·lo'qui·al·ness n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
| Main Entry: | colloquial |
| Part of Speech: | adj |
| Definition: | pertaining to words or expressions more suitable for speech than writing; in informal, conversational style |
| Etymology: | Latin colloquium 'speaking together' |
| Main Entry: | colloquial |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | colloquial language or speech |
| Etymology: | Latin colloquium 'speaking together' |
Language Translation for : colloquial
Spanish:
coloquial,
German:
umgangssprachlich,
Japanese:
口語の
Colloquial
Col*lo"qui*al\, a. [See Colloqui.] Pertaining to, or used in, conversation, esp. common and familiar conversation; conversational; hence, unstudied; informal; as, colloquial intercourse; colloquial phrases; a colloquial style. -- Col*lo"qui*al*ly, adv. His [Johnson's] colloquial talents were, indeed, of the highest order. --Macaulay.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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colloquial
1751, from colloquy "a conversation" (1459), from L. colloquium "conference, conversation," from com- "together" + loqui "speak." Colloquialism first attested 1810. Colloquium itself was borrowed from L. 1609.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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