vocabulary
The collection of words a person knows and uses.
Word facts
Definition of Vocabulary
The words of a language collectively; lexis.
Example sentences
Reading widely is one of the most effective ways to expand your vocabulary.
She kept a notebook to record new words and grow her vocabulary every day.
Using Vocabulary well
A closer look at how vocabulary is used — meaning in plain English, how close synonyms differ, and examples at different levels.
The whole set of words a person knows or that belong to a particular language or subject.
Use it to talk about the range of words available to a person, a language, or a field. It works in education, writing, and specialized or technical discussion.
Language learning, education and testing, technical fields ('legal vocabulary'), and figurative use for a set of available elements ('a designer's visual vocabulary').
Do not confuse 'vocabulary' (the words themselves) with 'grammar' (the rules for combining them); knowing many words is not the same as arranging them correctly.
- lexicon
- More formal and scholarly; often means the full word-stock of a language or field, and can also name a dictionary.
- wordstock
- Plain and somewhat old-fashioned; a direct native-English label for the body of words a language has.
- terminology
- Narrower; the specialized terms of a particular subject rather than someone's general word knowledge.
- diction
- Shifts focus to word choice and its effect in speech or writing, not the stock of words known.
- Beginner Reading every day helped me build a bigger vocabulary.
- In writing The report used the precise vocabulary of finance, so casual readers needed a glossary to follow it.
- Advanced Each architect works within an inherited vocabulary of forms, and originality lies less in inventing new words than in combining the old ones unexpectedly.
'Vocabulary' shares a root with 'vocal' and 'voice' (Latin 'vox') — the words you have a voice for.
Synonyms for Vocabulary
Related words
Words closely connected to Vocabulary in meaning or use:
Words that rhyme with Vocabulary
Try Vocabulary in the word tools
Browse words near Vocabulary
Explore more words that start with the letter V in Word Explorer, or use the A-Z browser to discover other vocabulary starting from any letter.
FAQ
Questions people ask
What does vocabulary mean?
The collection of words a person knows and uses. It is a noun.
How many syllables does vocabulary have?
There are 5 syllables in vocabulary, divided as voh·kab·yuh·leh·ree when spoken.
What part of speech is vocabulary?
In a sentence, vocabulary functions as a noun. As a noun, it names a thing, idea, or concept.
What are synonyms for vocabulary?
Close in meaning to vocabulary are lexicon, mental lexicon — choose the one whose tone fits your sentence.
How do you use vocabulary in a sentence?
Example: "Reading widely is one of the most effective ways to expand your vocabulary."