vernacular

American  

[ver-nak-yuh-ler, vuh-nak-] / vərˈnæk jə lər, vəˈnæk- /

adjective

1. (of language) native to a place (opposed to literary).

2. expressed or written in the native language of a place, as literary works.

   a vernacular poem.

3. using such a language.

   a vernacular speaker.

4. of or relating to such a language.

5. using plain, everyday, ordinary language.

6. of, relating to, or characteristic of architectural vernacular.

7. noting or pertaining to the common name for a plant or animal.

8. Obsolete. (of a disease) endemic.

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noun

• vernaculars
  plural

1. the native speech or language of a place.

2. the language or vocabulary peculiar to a class or profession.

3. a vernacular word or expression.

4. the plain variety of language in everyday use by ordinary people.

5. the common name of an animal or plant as distinguished from its Latin scientific name.

6. a style of architecture exemplifying the commonest techniques, decorative features, and materials of a particular historical period, region, or group of people.

7. any medium or mode of expression that reflects popular taste or local styles.

vernacular British  

/ vəˈnækjʊlə /

noun

1. the commonly spoken language or dialect of a particular people or place

2. a local style of architecture, in which ordinary houses are built

   this architect has re-created a true English vernacular

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adjective

1. relating to, using, or in the vernacular

2. designating or relating to the common name of an animal or plant

3. built in the local style of ordinary houses, rather than a grand architectural style

Synonym Usage

See language.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonvernacular
  adjective
• vernacularly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• vernaculars
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of vernacular

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin vernācul(us), “household, domestic, native” (apparently adjective use of vernāculus, diminutive of verna “slave born in the master's household”; further origin uncertain) + -ar ¹

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Explanation

Vernacular describes everyday language, including slang, that's used by the people. The vernacular is different from literary or official language: it's the way people really talk with each other, like how families talk at home. You know how some language is fancy and formal? Vernacular is different: think of it as how friends talk when no one is listening. Vernacular language includes slang and obscenities. One of the hardest things about writing for school is getting away from the vernacular and learning to write in more formal ways that don't come as naturally. You can also say specific groups have a vernacular, meaning the unique way people in a certain region or profession speak.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vernacular vernaculars

Businesspeople who interact with more technical collaborators often serve as the vectors who bring such jargon into the wider corporate vernacular, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Mr. Lornell, a professor emeritus of music history and culture at George Washington University, has written many works on vernacular music, from a Lead Belly biography to a survey of Washington’s go-go music scene.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Most of the time, I can overlook diluted queer vernacular popping up in the most random places.

From Salon ● May 10, 2026

The excitement comes with its own vernacular, as “powder hounds” hit the slopes, looking for “fresh tracks” and “chasing pow.”

From Slate ● Apr. 11, 2026

Each student’s curriculum was rounded off by the Afrikaans, English and vernacular languages.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

“People at the top spoke a different language, often Latin, and populations would speak local vernaculars, which were not standardized.”

From Slate ● Jul. 4, 2026

He has driven across the country more than a dozen times, mapping highways, studying vernaculars.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2023

While womenswear owes a debt to hip-hop, street style and athleticism, contemporary menswear is far more deeply indebted to those vernaculars.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 15, 2023

He went on to explain that even though language constantly evolves, different regions will continue to display their own collections of distinct vernaculars.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2022

The Bible in his own vernacular lies open, inviting every native of India to-day; and in many vernaculars the translation has been revised more than once.

From India, Its Life and Thought by John P. (John Peter) Jones

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Related Words

• argot
• dialect
• idiom
• jargon
• lingo
• parlance
• patois
• slang

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