verbal

[vur-buhl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR verbal ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or relating to words: verbal ability.

consisting of or in the form of words: verbal imagery.

expressed in spoken words; oral rather than written: verbal communication; verbal agreement.

consisting of or expressed in words (as opposed to actions): a verbal protest.

pertaining to or concerned with words only (as opposed to ideas, facts, or realities): a purely verbal distinction between two concepts.

corresponding word for word; verbatim: a verbal translation.

using words: verbal facility.

based on the use of words (as opposed to other activity): a verbal score in a test; verbal IQ.

Grammar.

of, relating to, or derived from a verb.
used in a sentence as or like a verb, as participles and infinitives.

noun

Grammar. a word, particularly a noun or adjective, derived from a verb.

Origin of verbal

1485–95; < Latin verbālis, equivalent to verb(um) word (see verb) + -ālis -al¹

Related formsver·bal·ly, adverbin·ter·ver·bal, adjectivenon·ver·bal, adjectivenon·ver·bal·ly, adverbpre·ver·bal, adjectivesub·ver·bal, adjectiveun·ver·bal, adjectiveun·ver·bal·ly, adverb

Can be confusedoral verbal (see usage note at the current entry)verbal verbose

Synonyms for verbal

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR verbal ON THESAURUS.COM

3. spoken.

Usage note

3, 4. Verbal has had the meaning “spoken” since the late 16th century and is thus synonymous with oral: He wrote a memorandum to confirm the verbal agreement. Slightly earlier, verbal had developed the meaning “expressed in words, whether spoken or written (as opposed to actions)”: Verbal support is no help without money and supplies. Although some say that the use of verbal to mean “spoken” produces ambiguity, it rarely does so. Verbal is used in this sense in all varieties of speech and writing and is fully standard. The context usually makes the meaning clear: No documents are necessary; a verbal agreement (or contract or order ) will suffice. Oral can be used instead of verbal if the context demands: My lawyer insists on a written contract because oral agreements are too difficult to enforce.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for verbal

rhetorical, unwritten, exact, literal, oral, said, stated, verbatim, expressed, lexical, lingual, phrasal, told

Examples from the Web for verbal

Contemporary Examples of verbal

In movies, that language, visual and verbal, has yet to be mastered.
Why Can’t Movies Capture Genius?
Clive Irving
December 14, 2014
He reiterated the statements “I am not a politician” and “I am not a political advisor” so often that it seemed like a verbal tic.
Obamacare Architect: I Wanted to Sound Smart
Ben Jacobs
December 9, 2014
Because of the verbal abuse and death threats coming my way, these women seemed to identify with me.
During Advent, Lots of Waiting, But Not Enough Hope
Gene Robinson
December 7, 2014
The verbal irony in the story would have played well in the first century.
The Barabbas Theory of Voting: Bible Story Shows Tough Choices for Midterms
Jay Parini
November 2, 2014
There are no verbal crescendos; there is very little emotion and no drama at all.
Martin Luther King’s Nobel Speech Is an Often Ignored Masterpiece
Malcolm Jones
October 16, 2014

Historical Examples of verbal

Callers can leave a verbal message in the phonograph instead of a note.
Heroes of the Telegraph
J. Munro
The Crucifixion.marvellous picture by an effort at a verbal account of it.
Modern Painters Volume II (of V)
John Ruskin
None, sir—I came off at a moment's warning—my message is verbal.
The Fall of British Tyranny
John Leacock
But no riot or verbal explosion followed the opening of the door.
Cap'n Dan's Daughter
Joseph C. Lincoln
It was wrong to trust any one with a verbal message in the cabinet of a fox.
The Eternal City
Hall Caine

British Dictionary definitions for verbal

verbal

adjective

of, relating to, or using words, esp as opposed to ideas, etcmerely verbal concessions

oral rather than writtena verbal agreement

verbatim; literalan almost verbal copy

grammar of or relating to verbs or a verb

noun

grammar another word for verbid

(plural) slang abuse or invectivenew forms of on-field verbals

(plural) slang a criminal's admission of guilt on arrest

verb -bals, -balling or -balled (tr)

slang (of the police) to implicate (someone) in a crime by quoting alleged admission of guilt in court

Derived Formsverbally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for verbal

adj.

late 15c., "dealing with words" (especially in contrast to things or realities), from Latin verbalis "consisting of words, relating to verbs," from verbum "word" (see verb). Verbal conditioning is recorded from 1954. Colloquial verbal diarrhea is recorded from 1823.