diction
Verbal style selection
Diction is word choice—the particular words a speaker or writer selects.
A poet's diction might be elevated or plain, archaic or contemporary.
Her diction was precise and economical.
Diction also refers to clarity of pronunciation, especially in singing or public speaking: The actor's diction was so poor I couldn't understand half his lines.
Manner of speaking words
- enunciationClarity of spoken words
- elocutionFormal speaking skill
- speechOral communication ability
- accentRegional speech pattern
intonation · inflection · phonetics · syllable · consonant · vowel · cadence · prosody
Vocabulary of a language
- terminologySubject-specific vocabulary
- word choiceSelection of vocabulary
- languageSystem of symbolic communication
- phrasingManner of expressing something
wording · verbiage · parlance · phraseology · locution · usage · register · formality
Quality of sound
- timbreSound's distinctive character
- resonanceAmplified oscillation at natural frequency
- pitchFrequency of sound
- projectionSomething that extends outward
voice · dynamics · range · coloration · musicality · phrasing · technique · interpretation
Accuracy of measurement
- lucidityClearness of mind
- coherenceLogical internal consistency
- concisenessQuality of being brief
- directnessQuality of being straightforward
explicitness · intelligibility · perspicuity · plainness · distinctness · exactness · crispness · succinctness
Art of persuasive language
- fluencySmooth linguistic command
- oratoryFormal eloquent discourse
- persuasivenessQuality of swaying minds
- expressivenessAbility to convey emotion
articulateness · silver-tongued · grandiloquence · magniloquence · bombast · floridness · loftiness · mellifluousness
Following strict protocol
- informalRelaxed, not official
- literaryOf written works
- conversationalRelating to informal dialogue
- academicRelating to education or theory
journalistic · legalistic · clinical · ornate · austere · terse · verbose · florid
pronunciation
Manner of speaking words
- enunciationClarity of spoken words
- elocutionFormal speaking skill
- speechOral communication ability
accent · intonation · inflection · phonetics · syllable · consonant · vowel · cadence · prosody · utterance
lexicon
Vocabulary of a language
- terminologySubject-specific vocabulary
- word choiceSelection of vocabulary
- languageSystem of symbolic communication
phrasing · wording · verbiage · parlance · phraseology · locution · usage · register · formality · vernacular
tone
Quality of sound
- timbreSound's distinctive character
- resonanceAmplified oscillation at natural frequency
- pitchFrequency of sound
projection · voice · dynamics · range · coloration · musicality · phrasing · technique · interpretation · recitative
precision
Accuracy of measurement
- lucidityClearness of mind
- coherenceLogical internal consistency
- concisenessQuality of being brief
directness · explicitness · intelligibility · perspicuity · plainness · distinctness · exactness · crispness · succinctness · terseness
rhetoric
Art of persuasive language
- fluencySmooth linguistic command
- oratoryFormal eloquent discourse
- persuasivenessQuality of swaying minds
expressiveness · articulateness · silver-tongued · grandiloquence · magniloquence · bombast · floridness · loftiness · mellifluousness · sonorousness
formal
Following strict protocol
- informalRelaxed, not official
- literaryOf written works
- conversationalRelating to informal dialogue
academic · journalistic · legalistic · clinical · ornate · austere · terse · verbose · florid · spare
- vocabularyword, words, new words, term, terms
- rhetoricrhetoric, persuasion, oratory, argumentation, debate
- formal speechformal speech, formal tone, formal address, well-spoken, eloquence
- textual analysistextual analysis, exegesis, explication, annotation, close reading
- communicationtelephone, conversation, inform, hand signal, messages
- languagelanguage, word, words, grammar, spelling
dictionmumbling
Indistinct, quiet speech
slurring · muttering · lisping · thick accent · garbling
dictionmalapropism
Sound-alike word confusion
gibberish · gobbledygook · imprecision · vagueness · verbosity
dictionvulgar language
Coarse or obscene speech
coarse language · slang · vulgarity · coarseness · crude language
- dictionary definitionA word's stated meaning
- concise dictionaryShortened word reference book
- English dictionaryReference for word meanings
- online dictionaryWeb resource for definitions
- dictionary entrySingle word's documented meaning
- rhyming dictionaryReference for similar-sounding endings
dictionary, prediction, contradiction, jurisdiction, dictionaries, predictive, benediction, malediction, valediction