vocabulary

vocabulary — noun

1. the full set of words understood and actively used by someone in their everyday

1.nounA1
Definition

the full set of words understood and actively used by someone in their everyday communication

Example

Reading storybooks helps young children grow their vocabulary quickly.

grow your vocabulary — increase the number of words you know

Allison has a large English vocabulary for a seven-year-old student.

have a large vocabulary — know many words

Common collocations
  • large vocabulary
  • limited vocabulary
  • rich vocabulary
  • spoken vocabulary
  • reading vocabulary
  • build up your vocabulary
  • grow your vocabulary
Synonyms
  • lexicon

    more formal; often used by linguists to describe a person's mental dictionary

  • word stock

    less common; refers to the total set of words available to someone

Grammar Patterns

vocabulary of [person type]

have a [adjective] vocabulary

Usage Note

Often used with possessive determiners (my, his, her, their) or with adjectives describing size or quality, such as 'large', 'limited', 'rich', or 'basic'.

Common Mistakes

I need to improve my vocabulary words.
I need to improve my vocabulary.
The word 'vocabulary' already refers to words; adding 'words' is redundant.

2. the complete set of words forming a language, or the special terms used within a

2.nounA2
Definition

the complete set of words forming a language, or the special terms used within a given field of study or activity

Example

The English vocabulary includes words from French, German, and many other languages.

vocabulary of + language — all words that make up a language

Medical vocabulary contains terms like 'diagnosis' and 'prescription'.

Common collocations
  • vocabulary of English
  • medical vocabulary
  • technical vocabulary
  • scientific vocabulary
  • basic vocabulary
  • enter the vocabulary
  • part of the vocabulary
Synonyms
  • lexicon

    more formal; the technical term for the entire word stock of a language

  • terminology

    narrower; refers specifically to the specialized words of a field, not a whole language

Grammar Patterns

vocabulary of [language/field]

[field] vocabulary

Usage Note

Frequently followed by 'of' plus a language name ('vocabulary of English') or a field of study ('vocabulary of medicine'). This sense is the one used when talking about words entering or leaving a language over time.

Common Mistakes

What is the vocabulary for "window" in French?
What is the word for "window" in French?
'Vocabulary' means the whole set of words, not a single word.

3. an organized collection of words paired with definitions or explanations, typica

3.nounB1
Definition

an organized collection of words paired with definitions or explanations, typically found in a textbook or language course

Example

Each chapter of the Spanish textbook ends with a vocabulary of new words.

a vocabulary — countable use, meaning a list of words

Mira copied the vocabulary into her notebook to study before the exam.

Common collocations
  • chapter vocabulary
  • vocabulary list
  • vocabulary exercise
  • vocabulary of terms
  • vocabulary at the back
Synonyms
  • glossary

    a list of specialized terms with definitions, usually at the end of a book

  • word list

    more general; may or may not include definitions

  • lexicon

    a formal term for a dictionary or word list of a language

Grammar Patterns

a vocabulary of [subject]

[subject] vocabulary

Usage Note

The only sense of 'vocabulary' that is regularly countable. A vocabulary (word list) can be found at the back of a textbook or be handed out by a teacher as a study aid.

Common Mistakes

I looked it up in the vocabulary.
I looked it up in the vocabulary list.
Using 'vocabulary' alone to refer to a word list can be confusing; adding 'list' makes the meaning clear.

4. the range of expressive techniques, symbols, colours, or stylistic tools availab

4.nounC1
Definition

the range of expressive techniques, symbols, colours, or stylistic tools available to an artist, musician, or designer — for example, a painter's vocabulary of brushstrokes and colour combinations

Example

The painter developed a rich vocabulary of colours and brush techniques.

vocabulary of + art elements — expressive range in a creative field

Imran's musical vocabulary blends jazz, folk, and classical traditions.

musical vocabulary — the range of styles and techniques in music

Common collocations
  • visual vocabulary
  • musical vocabulary
  • artistic vocabulary
  • design vocabulary
  • vocabulary of forms
  • vocabulary of colours
  • rich vocabulary
Synonyms
  • repertoire

    the full range of skills or pieces an artist can perform or draw upon

  • palette

    narrower; used mainly for the range of colours available to a painter

Grammar Patterns

vocabulary of [art elements]

[art form] vocabulary

Usage Note

Used figuratively by extension from language vocabulary. Common in arts criticism and design writing. Often followed by 'of' plus a set of creative elements (e.g. 'vocabulary of shapes', 'vocabulary of gestures').

Common Mistakes

Her artistic vocabulary of techniques is very wide.
Her artistic vocabulary is very wide.
The word 'vocabulary' already contains the idea of techniques in this sense; adding 'of techniques' is redundant.
Idioms

not in somebody's vocabulary

idiom

A concept or idea that someone does not accept or understand.

The word 'quit' is not in Maya's vocabulary.

Why is 'patience' not in your vocabulary, Diego?

Word family

  • vocab
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Vocabulary is the everyday word for the set of words a person knows. Lexicon is more formal and can refer either to an individual's mental word store or to the complete word set of a language. Terminology is narrower: it covers the specialized words of a particular field, such as medical or legal terminology. Word stock is a less common synonym for an individual's vocabulary, often used in language-acquisition studies. Glossary refers to a list of specialized words with definitions, typically at the end of a book. For example, a doctor has a large medical vocabulary — you could also call it her medical lexicon — but the exact terms she uses in her field are medical terminology, and those terms might be gathered in a glossary at the back of her textbook.

lexicon ↗terminology ↗word stockglossary ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • vocabulary test
  • vocabulary list
  • vocabulary exercise
  • vocabulary building
  • vocabulary size

Phrases

  • build your vocabulary
  • expand your vocabulary
  • have a good vocabulary
  • improve your vocabulary

Prepositions

  • vocabulary of

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'vocabulum', meaning a name or a word, which comes from 'vocare' (to call). It entered English through French 'vocabulaire' in the 1500s. At first it meant a list of words with explanations — like a small dictionary. Later the meaning broadened to include all the words a person knows or a language contains.