vocabulary

American  

[voh-kab-yuh-ler-ee] / voʊˈkæb yəˌlɛr i /

noun

plural

vocabularies

1. the stock of words used by or known to a particular people or group of persons.

   His French vocabulary is rather limited. The scientific vocabulary is constantly growing.

2. a list or collection of the words or phrases of a language, technical field, etc., usually arranged in alphabetical order and defined.

   Study the vocabulary in the fourth chapter.

3. the words of a language.

4. any collection of signs or symbols constituting a means or system of nonverbal communication.

   vocabulary of a computer.

5. any more or less specific group of forms characteristic of an artist, a style of art, architecture, or the like.

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vocabulary British  

/ vəˈkæbjʊlərɪ /

noun

1. a listing, either selective or exhaustive, containing the words and phrases of a language, with meanings or translations into another language; glossary

2. the aggregate of words in the use or comprehension of a specified person, class, profession, etc

3. all the words contained in a language

4. a range or system of symbols, qualities, or techniques constituting a means of communication or expression, as any of the arts or crafts

   a wide vocabulary of textures and colours

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Other Word Forms

• vocabularied adjective

Etymology

Origin of vocabulary

1525–35; < Medieval Latin vocābulārium, noun use of neuter of vocābulārius of words, equivalent to Latin vocābul ( um ) vocable + -ārius -ary

Explanation

Vocabulary is all about words — the words in a language or a special set of words you are trying to learn. Vocabulary is so important, we even created a web site to help expand yours. First used in the 1500s to mean a list of words with explanations, the noun vocabulary came to refer to the “range of language of a person or group” about two hundred years later. A lot of hobbies, like fishing or knitting, require that you learn their unique vocabulary before you can get the most out of them. If you're in a rush, vocab is a faster way to say vocabulary.

Example Sentences

But even if the opinion is written in the clipped vocabulary of habeas review, the stakes are larger than that language suggests.

From Slate • Apr. 10, 2026

His unique delivery – conversational and charismatic, combining Jamaican intonation with witty Britishisms and elevated vocabulary – was already in place.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

“It is a narrative operation using a shared cultural vocabulary to reach a specific demographic,” namely anyone who has played these first-person shooter games.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Thereupon nuclear bluster permanently vanished from the U.S. presidential vocabulary, experts in diplomacy tell us, for reasons that boil down to a loss of credibility once Moscow could match the U.S. in nuclear firepower.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

My head was so filled with memories of Ms. Mac that I only got 75% on my vocabulary test.

From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney

Related Words

• dictionary
• glossary
• jargon
• terminology