vocabulary

noun

vo·cab·u·lary vō-ˈka-byə-ˌler-ē

və-

plural vocabularies

Synonyms of vocabulary next

: a list or collection of words or of words and phrases usually alphabetically arranged and explained or defined : lexicon

The vocabulary for the week is posted online every Monday.

: a sum or stock of words employed by a language, group, individual, or work or in a field of knowledge

a child with a large vocabulary

the vocabulary of physicians

a writer known for employing a rich vocabulary

: a list or collection of terms or codes available for use (as in an indexing system)

… the oldest Sumerian cuneiform writing could not render normal prose but was a mere telegraphic shorthand, whose vocabulary was restricted to names, numerals, units of measure, words for objects counted, and a few adjectives.—

Jared Diamon

: a supply of expressive techniques or devices (as of an art form)

an impressive musical vocabulary

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The Vocabulary of Vocabulary

For many people, the word vocabulary is primarily associated with the number of words that a person knows; one either has a large or a small vocabulary. But the word has many shades of meaning and is nicely representative of the nuanced and multi-hued nature of so much of the English lexicon.

Vocabulary may indeed refer to the collection of words known by an individual or by a large group of people. It may also signify the body of specialized terms in a field of study or activity (“the vocabulary of science”). It may designate a physical object, such as a book, in which a collection of (usually alphabetized) words is defined or explained. And it may name things other than words, such as “a list or collection of terms or codes available for use,” “a set or list of nonverbal symbols” (such as marine alphabet flag signals), and “a set of expressive forms used in an art” (as in “the vocabulary of dance”).

Examples of vocabulary in a Sentence

the basic vocabulary of English She has learned a lot of new vocabulary. He has a somewhat limited vocabulary. Reading helped to expand her vocabulary. the vocabulary of the art world The Internet has given us a whole new vocabulary.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Regrettably, the catchy moniker has slinked into our vocabulary, and we are seemingly stuck with it. —

Lance Eliot, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 The reports began introducing the rhetoric of climate change straight into the heart of the far right’s vocabulary. —

Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 19 Oct. 2024 Beat communicated with advanced and exotic languages, its wide-ranging vocabulary including experimental, art-rock,pop, jazz, funk, new-wave and gamelan elements. —

Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2024 But, as historian Robert O. Smith writes, since the phrase entered the country’s vocabulary, some Jewish Americans have firmly objected to it. —

Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 27 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for vocabulary