vocabulary
Americannoun
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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.
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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.
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the words of a language.
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any collection of signs or symbols constituting a means or system of nonverbal communication.
vocabulary of a computer.
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any more or less specific group of forms characteristic of an artist, a style of art, architecture, or the like.
noun
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a listing, either selective or exhaustive, containing the words and phrases of a language, with meanings or translations into another language; glossary
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the aggregate of words in the use or comprehension of a specified person, class, profession, etc
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all the words contained in a language
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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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing vocabulary
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Dictionary Words: Lexicography Lingo
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Narrative Writing, List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
The structure and vocabulary — and sometimes the em-dashes — are giveaways.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Warm up those brain muscles with our daily quiz, which tests the limits of your vocabulary.
From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026
Not just because it appears in both dishes, but because it gives them a shared vocabulary.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
What has the medium got to give, with its vocabulary?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
That is one of my new vocabulary lessons.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
In totalitarian regimes, censored vocabularies create the illusion of consensus and the impossibility of dissent.
From Salon ● May 3, 2025
Scientists tried using sign language to converse with apes and trained parrots to deploy growing English vocabularies.
From New York Times ● May 12, 2024
On average, children with several ear infections before three years of age had smaller vocabularies and a harder time matching similar sounding words than children with few or no ear infections.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 3, 2024
One of the reasons off-Broadway continues to be so vital is that it requires us to retool our critical vocabularies and to rethink our certainties of how this art form should behave.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2023
“I move we officially ban the word sorry from our vocabularies while we’re here.”
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
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.
