colloquialism
Informal speech pattern
A colloquialism is an informal word or expression used in everyday speech rather than formal writing: gonna, kids, what's up.
Colloquialisms aren't slang exactly—they're simply casual, the language of conversation rather than essays or speeches.
Every language variety has its own: y'all in Southern American English, mate in British and Australian.
Specialized professional vocabulary
- argotGroup-specific coded speech
- cantSanctimonious insincerity
- lingoGroup-specific vocabulary
- slanguageInformal, nonstandard vocabulary
neologism · buzzword · shoptalk · hipsterism · jive · patter · bants · vocab
Local area favoritism
- patoisRegional informal speech
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
- provincialismNarrow regional mindset
- localismPreference for nearby things
brogue · accent · idiom · parlance · mother-tongue · shibboleth · sociolect · Americanism
Fixed phrase, opaque meaning
- phraseWords forming partial meaning
- sayingShort, wise expression
- proverbTraditional saying expressing truth
- adageTraditional pithy truth
maxim · cliché · platitude · witticism · quip · epigram · catchphrase · byword
Informal light conversation
- banterPlayful, teasing exchange
- gabLight, meaningless talk
- natterLight, aimless conversation
- jawBone holding teeth
schmooze · palaver · small-talk · gabfest · yak · chinwag · confab · rap
Relaxed and informal
- everydayOccurring each day
- conversationalRelating to informal dialogue
- relaxedFree of stress
- folksyInformally friendly and simple
chatty · breezy · laid-back · unpretentious · plain-spoken · homespun · down-to-earth · accessible
jargon
Specialized professional vocabulary
slanguage · neologism · buzzword · shoptalk · hipsterism · jive · patter · bants · vocab · expressions
regionalism
Local area favoritism
- patoisRegional informal speech
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
- provincialismNarrow regional mindset
localism · brogue · accent · idiom · parlance · mother-tongue · shibboleth · sociolect · Americanism · Briticism
idiom
Fixed phrase, opaque meaning
- phraseWords forming partial meaning
- sayingShort, wise expression
- proverbTraditional saying expressing truth
adage · maxim · cliché · platitude · witticism · quip · epigram · catchphrase · byword · chestnut
chitchat
Informal light conversation
jaw · schmooze · palaver · small-talk · gabfest · yak · chinwag · confab · rap · powwow
casual
Relaxed and informal
- everydayOccurring each day
- conversationalRelating to informal dialogue
- relaxedFree of stress
folksy · chatty · breezy · laid-back · unpretentious · plain-spoken · homespun · down-to-earth · accessible · nonstandard
- slangslang, jargon, lingo, argot, cant
- languagelanguage, word, words, grammar, spelling
- vocabularyword, words, new words, term, terms
- expressionsexpression, I love you, phrase, idioms, thank you
- Informal Writingslang, text messages, blog posts, tweets, chat logs
- linguistics termssynonym, antonym, homonym, grammar, phonetics
colloquialismformal language
Elevated, rule-governed expression
formalism · formal expression · high style · official language · refined language
colloquialismtechnical term
Specialized field vocabulary
proper English · jargon · terminology · legalese · specialized vocabulary