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Synonyms

natural language processing

American  
[nach-er-uhl lang-gwij pros-es-ing, nach-ruhl] / ˈnætʃ ər əl ˈlæŋ gwɪdʒ ˌprɒs ɛs ɪŋ, ˈnætʃ rəl /

noun

Computers.

  1. the application of machine learning algorithms to the analysis, understanding, and manipulation of written or spoken examples of human language. NLP

Etymology

Origin of natural language processing

First recorded in 1965–70

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.

One reason AI tools for project management help save time is because they support natural language processing, enabling managers and other site workers to speak directly to the apps on their devices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

About 17.8% of businesses reported using any form of AI—including machine learning, natural language processing, virtual agents, and voice recognition—in December, according to the Census Bureau’s Business Trends and Outlook Survey External link.

From Barron's • Jan. 8, 2026

As an MIT computer-science professor, Regina Barzilay was used to living on the bleeding edge of innovation, teaching computers to understand words in the nascent field of natural language processing.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 11, 2025

She’s been using AI for content moderation since 2016, when she released an anonymous social network app called Candid that relied on natural language processing to detect misinformation.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2024

The RALI's personnel includes experienced computer scientists and linguists in natural language processing both in classical symbolic methods as well as in newer probabilist methods.

From Multilingualism on the Web by Lebert, Marie

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.