vernacular
Americanadjective
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(of language) native to a place (literary ).
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expressed or written in the native language of a place, as literary works.
a vernacular poem.
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using such a language.
a vernacular speaker.
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of or relating to such a language.
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using plain, everyday, ordinary language.
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of, relating to, or characteristic of architectural vernacular.
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noting or pertaining to the common name for a plant or animal.
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Obsolete. (of a disease) endemic.
noun
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the native speech or language of a place.
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the language or vocabulary peculiar to a class or profession.
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a vernacular word or expression.
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the plain variety of language in everyday use by ordinary people.
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the common name of an animal or plant as distinguished from its Latin scientific name.
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a style of architecture exemplifying the commonest techniques, decorative features, and materials of a particular historical period, region, or group of people.
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any medium or mode of expression that reflects popular taste or local styles.
noun
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the commonly spoken language or dialect of a particular people or place
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a local style of architecture, in which ordinary houses are built
this architect has re-created a true English vernacular
adjective
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relating to, using, or in the vernacular
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designating or relating to the common name of an animal or plant
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built in the local style of ordinary houses, rather than a grand architectural style
Related Words
See language.
Other Word Forms
- nonvernacular adjective
- vernacularly adverb
Etymology
Origin of vernacular
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin vernācul(us), “household, domestic, native” (apparently adjective use of vernāculus, diminutive of verna “slave born in the master's household”; further origin uncertain) + -ar 1
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.
She owned a copy of Tyndale’s New Testament and backed appointees to the court who supported the idea of a vernacular Bible.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
In his own vernacular, he "mogs" everyone he meets - he is so at the top of his game that he outshines everyone in his presence.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026
“Kin” deftly alternates points of view between Vernice and Annie, narrating events by way of a vernacular that would be at home on a front porch rocking chair.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026
They’re hearty, warm, cheesy, creamy and indulgent — just a few words that are part of the season’s culinary vernacular.
From Salon • Feb. 7, 2026
“There’s a black man with brains gone to bed,” Malcolm X told me once, briefly lapsing into his old vernacular.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
