ver·nac·u·lar
vər-ˈna-kyə-lər 
və-
1
a
: using a language or dialect native to a region or country rather than a literary, cultured, or foreign language
b
: of, relating to, or being a nonstandard language or dialect of a place, region, or country
c
: of, relating to, or being the normal spoken form of a language
2
: applied to a plant or animal in the common native speech as distinguished from the Latin nomenclature of scientific classification
the vernacular name
3
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a period, place, or group
especially
: of, relating to, or being the common building style of a period or place
vernacular architecture
vernacularly
adverb
1
: a vernacular language, expression, or mode of expression : an expression or mode of expression that occurs in ordinary speech rather than formal writing
2
: the mode of expression of a group or class
3
: a common name of a plant or animal as distinguished from the Latin nomenclature of scientific classification : a vernacular name of a plant or animal
Examples of vernacular in a Sentence
Adjective
While there are American operas galore, some of which are quite good indeed, there is no vernacular opera tradition in America—instead, we have musical comedy—and now that supertitles have become standard equipment at major American opera houses, the chances that those houses will start regularly performing foreign-language operas in English translation have dropped from slim to none.
—
Terry Teachout, New York Times Book Review, 9 Nov. 1997
Native crafts, the use of local materials, and vernacular buildings were considered integral to each country's heritage, and their preservation and revival became part of the movement to forge a strong national identity.
—Wendy Kaplan, Antiques, October 1995
For the proliferation of rich vernacular literatures in the twelfth century secured the place of the vulgar tongues in European society, and this entrenchment of the vernacular tongues made the European peoples more conscious of being separated from each other; decreased the cosmopolitan attitudes of the European nobility; and encouraged xenophobia, which became common in the thirteenth century.
—Norman F. Cantor, The Civilization of the Middle Ages, 1993
Hurricanes, fires and economic development unfortunately have caused many examples of both vernacular and more classical architecture to disappear over the years.
—Suzanne Stephens, Architectural Digest, 1 Aug. 1990
the vernacular architecture of the region
writes essays in a very easy-to-read, vernacular style
Noun
But ask baseball people about [Michael] Young, and they'll admiringly tell you that he is a "grinder," vernacular for a player who works his butt off.
—Chris Ballard, Sports Illustrated, 8 May 2006
… the sources for [Cole] Porter's chromaticism and syncopation are the vernacular of black music in America.
—Stephen Brown, Times Literary Supplement, 21 Jan. 2005
For Lu Xun helped revolutionize Chinese writing, tugging the written language toward the vernacular so that it was easier to learn, and he even endorsed the heresy of abandoning Chinese characters for the Roman alphabet so that literacy could spread more easily.
—Amy Hempel, New York Times Book Review, 19 Aug. 1990
New Mexico is not the easiest region in the country for an architect to establish a practice in. It is not that the area is indifferent to architecture—it is more that the traditional south-western architectural vernacular is so awe-inspiring that it tends to overwhelm most efforts to create a credible personal voice.
—Paul Goldberger, Architectural Digest, October 1986
What was required was a vagrant and a visionary, a man of mystic recklessness. The man who dared point the way would have to use the vernacular, and not speak but shriek. Paracelsus (1493–1541) was suspect in his day, and never lost his reputation as a charlatan.
—Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983
He spoke in the vernacular of an urban teenager.
phrases that occur in the common vernacular
Terry Teachout, New York Times Book Review, 9 Nov. 1997
Native crafts, the use of local materials, and vernacular buildings were considered integral to each country's heritage, and their preservation and revival became part of the movement to forge a strong national identity.
—Wendy Kaplan, Antiques, October 1995
For the proliferation of rich vernacular literatures in the twelfth century secured the place of the vulgar tongues in European society, and this entrenchment of the vernacular tongues made the European peoples more conscious of being separated from each other; decreased the cosmopolitan attitudes of the European nobility; and encouraged xenophobia, which became common in the thirteenth century.
—Norman F. Cantor, The Civilization of the Middle Ages, 1993
Hurricanes, fires and economic development unfortunately have caused many examples of both vernacular and more classical architecture to disappear over the years.
—Suzanne Stephens, Architectural Digest, 1 Aug. 1990
the vernacular architecture of the region
writes essays in a very easy-to-read, vernacular style
Noun
But ask baseball people about [Michael] Young, and they'll admiringly tell you that he is a "grinder," vernacular for a player who works his butt off.
—Chris Ballard, Sports Illustrated, 8 May 2006
… the sources for [Cole] Porter's chromaticism and syncopation are the vernacular of black music in America.
—Stephen Brown, Times Literary Supplement, 21 Jan. 2005
For Lu Xun helped revolutionize Chinese writing, tugging the written language toward the vernacular so that it was easier to learn, and he even endorsed the heresy of abandoning Chinese characters for the Roman alphabet so that literacy could spread more easily.
—Amy Hempel, New York Times Book Review, 19 Aug. 1990
New Mexico is not the easiest region in the country for an architect to establish a practice in. It is not that the area is indifferent to architecture—it is more that the traditional south-western architectural vernacular is so awe-inspiring that it tends to overwhelm most efforts to create a credible personal voice.
—Paul Goldberger, Architectural Digest, October 1986
What was required was a vagrant and a visionary, a man of mystic recklessness. The man who dared point the way would have to use the vernacular, and not speak but shriek. Paracelsus (1493–1541) was suspect in his day, and never lost his reputation as a charlatan.
—Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers, 1983
He spoke in the vernacular of an urban teenager.
phrases that occur in the common vernacular
Recent Examples on the Web
JSTOR Daily, 25 Oct. 2025
October 17, 2025 Over the last three decades, Rick Owens has built a universe with its own fashion vernacular—a world where high fashion meets dystopia and rebellion is the ultimate form of self-expression.
—Irina Grechko, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2025
News Desk, Artforum, 23 Oct. 2025
Over the last three decades, Rick Owens has built a universe with its own fashion vernacular—a world where high fashion meets dystopia and rebellion is the ultimate form of self-expression.
—Irina Grechko, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vernacular
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Adjective
Gaube’s photographs, explains Moussa, show both his interest in vernacular architecture and the penchant of Lebanese architects, designers, and builders for using thick stone and heavy wooden doors that kept interiors cool in summer and insulated in winter.
—JSTOR Daily, 25 Oct. 2025
October 17, 2025 Over the last three decades, Rick Owens has built a universe with its own fashion vernacular—a world where high fashion meets dystopia and rebellion is the ultimate form of self-expression.
—Irina Grechko, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
His own work seethed with the gritty vernacular of the street, evoking the Sturm und Drang of the Midwestern metropolis.
—News Desk, Artforum, 23 Oct. 2025
Over the last three decades, Rick Owens has built a universe with its own fashion vernacular—a world where high fashion meets dystopia and rebellion is the ultimate form of self-expression.
—Irina Grechko, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vernacular
Cite this Entry
“Vernacular.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vernacular. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
vernacular
1 of 2 adjective
ver·nac·u·lar
və(r)-ˈnak-yə-lər
: of, relating to, or using ordinary especially spoken language
vernacular
2 of 2 noun1
: ordinary spoken language rather than literary language
2
: a common name of a plant or animal in contrast to its taxonomic name
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