colloquial
Americanadjective
-
characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or writing; informal.
- Antonyms:
- formal
-
involving or using conversation.
adjective
-
of or relating to conversation
-
denoting or characterized by informal or conversational idiom or vocabulary Compare informal
Related Words
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.
Other Word Forms
- colloquiality noun
- colloquially adverb
- colloquialness noun
- quasi-colloquial adjective
- quasi-colloquially adverb
- semicolloquial adjective
- semicolloquially adverb
- uncolloquial adjective
- uncolloquially adverb
Etymology
Origin of colloquial
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Hyperscalers are situationships, not spouses,” Rezaei wrote in a Tuesday note, referencing a colloquial term for romantic entanglements lacking clear boundaries and formal commitment.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026
In coarse, colloquial prose, translated by Kate Webster, these loosely united vignettes glance upon the lives of villagers who seem cursed by the land.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026
In subsequent years, voting has played only a part in the choices, which have included 2023's "rizz" -- a colloquial term defined as "style, charm, or attractiveness" -- and last year's "brain rot".
From Barron's • Dec. 1, 2025
The acronym has become so common in colloquial conversation that it has practically lost all significance, appearing so frequently that the idea of greatness has been dulled into something ordinary, rather than exceptional.
From Salon • Sep. 19, 2025
Hijabis was a sort of colloquial term some people used to describe girls who wore hijab.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
