colloquialism

[ kuh-loh-kwee-uh-liz-uhm ]

noun

1. a colloquial expression.
2. colloquial style or usage.

colloquialism

/ kəˈləʊkwɪəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. a word or phrase appropriate to conversation and other informal situations
2. the use of colloquial words and phrases

Other Words From

• col·loqui·al·ist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of colloquialism¹

First recorded in 1800–10; colloquial + -ism

Example Sentences

“I laugh because I’m like, con el nopal en la frente,” she said, lightly slapping her forehead after uttering a colloquialism often used to emphasize someone’s evident Mexican roots via their appearance.

From Los Angeles Times

Almost everyone who frequents the market are Chapines, a popular colloquialism used to refer to someone of Guatemalan descent.

From Los Angeles Times

“Dooring” and “doored,” colloquialisms among bicyclists, refer to a collision caused by a driver or passenger opening a car door into an oncoming cyclist.

From Los Angeles Times

“There they said that ‘Venezuelans are ñucos, they are donkeys,’” he recounted, using a colloquialism that means ignorant or uneducated.

From Los Angeles Times

“Gun embodiment gets at the idea of the old colloquialism ‘When you’re holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail.’”

From New York Times