phraseology

[ frey-zee-ol-uh-jee ]

noun

1. manner or style of verbal expression; characteristic language:

   legal phraseology.

2. expressions; phrases:

   obscure phraseology.

phraseology

/ ˌfreɪzɪˈɒlədʒɪ; ˌfreɪzɪəˈlɒdʒɪkəl /

noun

1. the manner in which words or phrases are used
2. a set of phrases used by a particular group of people

Derived Forms

• phraseological, adjective
• ˌphraseoˈlogically, adverb

Other Words From

• phra·se·o·log·i·cal [frey-zee-, uh, -, loj, -i-k, uh, l], phrase·o·logic adjective
• phrase·o·logi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of phraseology¹

First recorded in 1600–10; from New Latin phraseologia (erroneously for unattested Greek phrasiología ), coined by German humanist Michael Neander (1525–95); phrase, -o-, -logy

Synonym Study

See diction.

Example Sentences

He also cautioned that he was unsure of the government's definition of a working person, adding: "We’ve got to find a different phraseology".

From BBC

What if the different “officer” phraseology in the Constitution had different meanings?’”

From New York Times

Bono: I wish I had the courage and phraseology to say exactly that.

From Los Angeles Times

On the eve of last year’s elections, former president Barack Obama suggested that an electoral problem for Democrats is that they are too focused on forcing people to use “the right phraseology.”

From Washington Post

All the clichés — bullying, or intimidation, or aggressive management, all the phraseology that is synonymous.

From Salon