1
as in linguistic
of or relating to words or language the child didn't yet have the verbal skills needed to tell the doctor about the pain he was experiencing

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2
as in oral
made or carried on through speaking rather than in writing a verbal agreement carries less force than a written contract

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of verbal For both the verbal and physical comedy to have their full impact, the entire production needs to be airtight. EW.com, 6 Feb. 2025 This ethos had affinities with that of Louise Hay, a best-selling New Age author who ran support groups in the nineteen-eighties and nineties for people with H.I.V. and AIDS, and who argued for the power of positive thinking, verbal affirmation, and unusual diets in overcoming disease. Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2025 The incidents included physical assault, vandalism, verbal or written harassment, and more. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 30 Jan. 2025 The course for the military’s aptitude test consisted of math and verbal questions at a junior-high level. Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for verbal 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for verbal
Adjective
  • The decision to keep the choir wordless added to the universality of the emotion, avoiding any geographical or linguistic ties.
    Tiana DeNicola, Variety, 7 Feb. 2025
  • In a letter to distributors and partners that was obtained by CNN, Whitworth sounded patriotic more than a linguistic or practical note.
    Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 5 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • According to arbitration filings, Bierman alleged that MedMen and its former executive chairman, Ben Rose, failed to honor an oral agreement for 18 million shares as part of his exit package.
    Javier Hasse, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
  • Polio vaccinations wrap up in Gaza as officials try to inoculate 90% of children under age 10 Children are receiving two drops of novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), which has been used for outbreak response under the WHO's Emergency Use Listing Procedure (EUL) approval since March 2021.
    Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Why would the same communicative behaviors evolve independently in whales and humans, whose last common ancestor was a shrewlike creature that lived roughly 100 million years ago?
    Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 6 Feb. 2025
  • On the same day, communicative Mercury and penetrating Pluto unite in Aquarius.
    Lisa Stardust, refinery29.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Thus far, the similarities between Orban and Trump are most pronounced in their rhetorical positioning.
    BÁLINT MADLOVICS, Foreign Affairs, 10 Feb. 2025
  • Resolutions — symbolic statements of values or support — often become a rhetorical battleground in the House, given some of its more right-wing Republican members, and a resolution about Jan. 6 represents a significant landmine for the chamber.
    Seth Klamann, The Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near verbal

Cite this Entry

“Verbal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/verbal. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.

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