Definitions Related words Phrases Mentions Lyrics History

Literary notes about Colloquial (AI summary)

In literature, the term colloquial is employed to highlight language that mirrors everyday speech rather than refined, literary diction. Authors often use it to denote expressions, phrases, or structures that are rooted in common conversation and sometimes even regional or informal variations. For example, one work describes it as language “vigorously hammered together” to create a robust, if less polished, effect [1], while another contrasts it directly with literary usage by noting that every language has “the colloquial and the literary” [2]. This informal register can be found in everything from idiomatic phrases used as a sort of “tried out” vernacular [3] to the conversational terms that capture the spirit of dialogue in literature [4, 5]. In various contexts—from the depiction of everyday monetary terminology [6] to the demonstration of authentic, spontaneous exclamations and corrections in dialogue [7]—the colloquial provides a means for writers to infuse their narratives with a sense of immediacy and cultural specificity.
  1. Colloquial for that which is vigorously hammered together, though not a finely finished piece of work.
    — from Doña Perfecta by Benito Pérez Galdós
  2. Every language has two standards of usage,—the colloquial and the literary.
    — from An Advanced English Grammar with Exercises by Frank Edgar Farley and George Lyman Kittredge
  3. Not until a thing has been tried—"tried out," in colloquial language—do we know its t
    — from How We Think by John Dewey
  4. As she disappeared, the boy's lips murmured "Good-night" with a fervor which made that simple colloquial phrase both a prayer and a blessing.
    — from Round the Block: An American Novel by John Bell Bouton
  5. Mrs. Kronborg spoke Swedish to her own sisters and to her sister-in-law Tillie, and colloquial English to her neighbors.
    — from The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather
  6. [colloquial terms for money] dough, cabbage.
    — from Roget's Thesaurus by Peter Mark Roget
  7. He took great pains in correcting my Spanish, and supplying me with colloquial phrases, and common terms and exclamations in speaking.
    — from Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana

More usage examples

Also see: Google, News, Images, Wikipedia, Reddit, BlueSky


Home   Reverse Dictionary / Thesaurus   Datamuse   Word games   Spruce   Feedback   Dark mode   Random word   Help


Color thesaurus

Use OneLook to find colors for words and words for colors

See an example

Literary notes

Use OneLook to learn how words are used by great writers

See an example

Word games

Try our innovative vocabulary games

Play Now

Read the latest OneLook newsletter issue: Compound Your Joy