VERBAL Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

verbal

adjective

ˈvər-bəl

Definition of verbal

as in linguistic

of or relating to words or language the child didn't yet have the verbal skills needed to tell the doctor about the pain he was experiencing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in oral

made or carried on through speaking rather than in writing a verbal agreement carries less force than a written contract

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of verbal Big ups to Michael Bratton, aka SEC Mike, who hurled a few verbal thunderbolts at CFP overlords during a recent on-air visit with ESPN’s Paul Finebaum. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 23 Oct. 2026 Two of the male suspects got into a verbal altercation with the victim and his girlfriend. — Garfield Hylton, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026 The plot, though streamlined, is accented with some verbal modernisms in keeping with that reclining easy chair, as if slipped in to keep things askew. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026 How old was the child with whom Tim got into a verbal altercation? — Jennifer Kim, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for verbal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for verbal

Adjective

As explored in my recent book, this dialect formed from linguistic variation that came in with colonial-era settlers from different places and stations.

— Valerie M. Fridland, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026
This poll is part of an ongoing project exploring the views of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, who are usually not highlighted in other surveys because of small sample sizes and lack of linguistic representation.

— Terry Tang, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of linguistic

Adjective

Advocates, many of them on TikTok, credit it with everything from better sleep to improved oral health and even changes to jawline structure.

— Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026
The company is developing an oral version of the blockbuster drug Dupixent (made and co-developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi).

— Paulina Likos, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of oral

Adjective

Through the administration’s embrace (and extensive personal leveraging) of crypto’s potential, crypto and retail speculation are increasingly being woven into the fabric of communicative and cultural spaces.

— Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
The arrival ceremony suggested that others understood the communicative potential of clothes at such an event, too.

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of communicative

Browse Nearby Words

verandas

verbal

verbalism

See all Nearby Words

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Style

“Verbal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/verbal. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of verbal

adjective

Example Sentences

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