ver·nac·u·larvər-ˈna-kyə-lər 
və-
1
a
:using alanguage or dialect native to a region or country rather than a literary, cultured, or foreign language
b
:of, relating to, or being a nonstandard language or dialect of a place, region, or country
c
:of, relating to, or being the normal spoken form of a language
2
:applied to a plant or animal in the common native speech as distinguished from the Latinnomenclature of scientific classification
thevernacular name
3
:of, relating to, or characteristic of a period, place, or group
especially:of, relating to, or being the common building style of a period or place
vernacular architecture
vernacularlyadverb
1
:a vernacular language, expression, or mode of expression:an expression or mode of expression that occurs in ordinary speech rather than formal writing
2
:the mode of expression of a group or class
3
:a common name of a plant or animal as distinguished from the Latinnomenclature of scientific classification:a vernacular name of a plant or animal
Synonyms ofvernacular
Examples ofvernacular in a Sentence
AdjectiveWhile there are American operas galore, some of which are quite good indeed, there is novernacular opera tradition in America—instead, we have musical comedy—and now that supertitles have become standard equipment at major American opera houses, the chances that those houses will start regularly performing foreign-language operas in English translation have dropped from slim to none.—
Terry Teachout,New York Times Book Review,9 Nov. 1997Native crafts, the use of local materials, andvernacular buildings were considered integral to each country's heritage, and their preservation and revival became part of the movement to forge a strong national identity.—Wendy Kaplan,Antiques,October 1995For the proliferation of richvernacular literatures in the twelfth century secured the place of the vulgar tongues in European society, and this entrenchment of thevernacular tongues made the European peoples more conscious of being separated from each other; decreased the cosmopolitan attitudes of the European nobility; and encouraged xenophobia, which became common in the thirteenth century.—Norman F. Cantor,The Civilization of the Middle Ages,1993Hurricanes, fires and economic development unfortunately have caused many examples of bothvernacular and more classical architecture to disappear over the years.—Suzanne Stephens,Architectural Digest,1 Aug. 1990 thevernacular architecture of the region writes essays in a very easy-to-read,vernacular styleNounBut ask baseball people about [Michael] Young, and they'll admiringly tell you that he is a "grinder,"vernacular for a player who works his butt off.—Chris Ballard,Sports Illustrated,8 May 2006… the sources for [Cole] Porter's chromaticism and syncopation are thevernacular of black music in America.—Stephen Brown,Times Literary Supplement,21 Jan. 2005For Lu Xun helped revolutionize Chinese writing, tugging the written language toward thevernacular so that it was easier to learn, and he even endorsed the heresy of abandoning Chinese characters for the Roman alphabet so that literacy could spread more easily.—Amy Hempel,New York Times Book Review,19 Aug. 1990New Mexico is not the easiest region in the country for an architect to establish a practice in. It is not that the area is indifferent to architecture—it is more that the traditional south-western architecturalvernacular is so awe-inspiring that it tends to overwhelm most efforts to create a credible personal voice.—Paul Goldberger,Architectural Digest,October 1986What was required was a vagrant and a visionary, a man of mystic recklessness. The man who dared point the way would have to use thevernacular, and not speak but shriek. Paracelsus (1493–1541) was suspect in his day, and never lost his reputation as a charlatan.—Daniel J. Boorstin,The Discoverers,1983 He spoke in thevernacular of an urban teenager. phrases that occur in the commonvernacular
Terry Teachout,New York Times Book Review,9 Nov. 1997Native crafts, the use of local materials, andvernacular buildings were considered integral to each country's heritage, and their preservation and revival became part of the movement to forge a strong national identity.—Wendy Kaplan,Antiques,October 1995For the proliferation of richvernacular literatures in the twelfth century secured the place of the vulgar tongues in European society, and this entrenchment of thevernacular tongues made the European peoples more conscious of being separated from each other; decreased the cosmopolitan attitudes of the European nobility; and encouraged xenophobia, which became common in the thirteenth century.—Norman F. Cantor,The Civilization of the Middle Ages,1993Hurricanes, fires and economic development unfortunately have caused many examples of bothvernacular and more classical architecture to disappear over the years.—Suzanne Stephens,Architectural Digest,1 Aug. 1990 thevernacular architecture of the region writes essays in a very easy-to-read,vernacular styleNounBut ask baseball people about [Michael] Young, and they'll admiringly tell you that he is a "grinder,"vernacular for a player who works his butt off.—Chris Ballard,Sports Illustrated,8 May 2006… the sources for [Cole] Porter's chromaticism and syncopation are thevernacular of black music in America.—Stephen Brown,Times Literary Supplement,21 Jan. 2005For Lu Xun helped revolutionize Chinese writing, tugging the written language toward thevernacular so that it was easier to learn, and he even endorsed the heresy of abandoning Chinese characters for the Roman alphabet so that literacy could spread more easily.—Amy Hempel,New York Times Book Review,19 Aug. 1990New Mexico is not the easiest region in the country for an architect to establish a practice in. It is not that the area is indifferent to architecture—it is more that the traditional south-western architecturalvernacular is so awe-inspiring that it tends to overwhelm most efforts to create a credible personal voice.—Paul Goldberger,Architectural Digest,October 1986What was required was a vagrant and a visionary, a man of mystic recklessness. The man who dared point the way would have to use thevernacular, and not speak but shriek. Paracelsus (1493–1541) was suspect in his day, and never lost his reputation as a charlatan.—Daniel J. Boorstin,The Discoverers,1983 He spoke in thevernacular of an urban teenager. phrases that occur in the commonvernacularRecent Examples on the WebWilliam Jones,IndyStar, 6 Nov. 2025Gaube’s photographs, explains Moussa, show both his interest invernacular architecture and the penchant of Lebanese architects, designers, and builders for using thick stone and heavy wooden doors that kept interiors cool in summer and insulated in winter.—JSTOR Daily, 25 Oct. 2025Will Hermes,Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025This is an innocent guy who’s getting completely screwed, to use some legalvernacular, in terms of his career.—Anthony Chiang,Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025See All Example Sentences forvernacular
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.
Adjective
For instance, many brands have become keenly aware that social media platforms such as TikTok have their own uniquevernacular and communication methods that pair well with them.—William Jones,IndyStar, 6 Nov. 2025Gaube’s photographs, explains Moussa, show both his interest invernacular architecture and the penchant of Lebanese architects, designers, and builders for using thick stone and heavy wooden doors that kept interiors cool in summer and insulated in winter.—JSTOR Daily, 25 Oct. 2025Noun
Rosalia’s Lux, to cite 2025’s most vivid example, moves musicvernacular forward by looking backwards to old-world virtuosity and spirituality.—Will Hermes,Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025This is an innocent guy who’s getting completely screwed, to use some legalvernacular, in terms of his career.—Anthony Chiang,Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025See All Example Sentences forvernacularWord History
Etymology
Adjective
Latinvernāculus "belonging to the household, domestic, native" (fromverna "slave born in the household"—of uncertain origin— +-āculus, perhaps originally diminutive suffix, though derivation is unclear) +-ar
Noun
noun derivative ofvernacularentry 1
Phrases Containingvernacular
Rhymes forvernacular
Browse Nearby Words
Cite this Entry
“Vernacular.”Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vernacular. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
vernacular
1 of 2adjectivever·nac·u·larvə(r)-ˈnak-yə-lər
:of, relating to, or using ordinary especially spoken language
vernacular
2 of 2noun1
:ordinary spoken language rather than literary language
2
:a common name of a plant or animal in contrast to its taxonomic name
More from Merriam-Webster onvernacular
Nglish:Translation ofvernacular for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com:Encyclopedia article aboutvernacular
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