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View synonyms for diction

diction

[ dik-shuhn ]

noun

  1. style of speaking or writing as dependent upon choice of words:

    good diction.

    Synonyms: language, usage

  2. the accent, inflection, intonation, and speech-sound quality manifested by an individual speaker, usually judged in terms of prevailing standards of acceptability; enunciation.


diction

/ ˈdɪkʃən /

noun

  1. the choice and use of words in writing or speech
  2. the manner of uttering or enunciating words and sounds; elocution


diction

  1. The choice of words. Diction is effective when words are appropriate to an audience. A man might refer to his car as his “wheels” in casual conversation with a friend, but if he were writing an essay for a group of economists, he would write, “People base their decision to buy an automobile on the following considerations,” not “People base their decision to buy wheels on the following considerations.”


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Other Words From

  • diction·al adjective
  • diction·al·ly adverb

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Word History and Origins

Origin of diction1

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English diccion, from Late Latin dictiōn- (stem of dictiō ) “word,” Latin: “rhetorical delivery,” equivalent to dict(us) “said, spoken (past participle of dīcere ) + -iōn- -ion

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Word History and Origins

Origin of diction1

C15: from Latin dictiō a saying, mode of expression, from dīcere to speak, say

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Synonym Study

Diction, phraseology, wording refer to the means and the manner of expressing ideas. Diction usually implies a high level of usage; it refers chiefly to the choice of words, their arrangement, and the force, accuracy, and distinction with which they are used: The speaker was distinguished for his excellent diction; poetic diction. Phraseology refers more to the manner of combining the words into related groups, and especially to the peculiar or distinctive manner in which certain technical, scientific, and professional ideas are expressed: legal phraseology. Wording refers to the exact words or phraseology used to convey thought: the wording of a will.

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Example Sentences

The diction is simple, the humor is soft and his subjects deal with the relatable details of daily life.

Classical allusions, poetical turns of phrase, antique diction, recondite words.

The prime minister has also reportedly paid for diction lessons to smooth out her rough Neapolitan accent.

This is yet another masterpiece, even though the tone and diction are all wrong, and the proportions totally off.

There was a British woman with a mike who sounded smarter than everyone else, due to her Oxford diction.

But give me a comprehensive idea of the place, in your own inimitable unvarnished diction.

Cibber almost new wrote the whole, and the last act was entirely his in conduct, sentiment and diction.

The critics say that his sublimity of diction is sometimes carried to an extreme, so that his language becomes inflated.

Tragedy is a drama in which the diction is dignified, the movement impressive, and the ending unhappy.

He loved a correct and classic diction, and never underrated style, so long as style was not an excuse for poverty of thought.

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