1
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

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2
as in oral
made or carried on through speaking rather than in writing a verbal agreement carries less force than a written contract

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples 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 Smith's son is slowly becoming verbal, while his daughter is still non-verbal. Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 15 Dec. 2024 Vu eventually got out of the car and the two got into a verbal argument that escalated. Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 6 Dec. 2024 Back in early March, before DeShaun Foster had concocted his first spring practice plan or devised a tentative depth chart, Jabari became the first high school prospect to give the new UCLA coach a verbal commitment. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024 Comments Drew Barrymore and Cynthia Erivo understand that physical communication can be just as important as verbal. EW.com, 10 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for verbal 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for verbal
Adjective
  • This meant that the writing was image-based rather than linguistic.
    Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
  • This is a popular linguistic relativity theory and is generally referred to as Whorfianism or the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (partially associated with anthropologist Benjamin Whorf).
    Lance Eliot, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Those minors also must be given an oral and written description of the incident, including who approved the disciplinary actions and the rationale behind them.
    Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Orange County Register, 27 Dec. 2024
  • Further reductions followed licensure of the Sabin oral polio vaccine in 1961.
    Arthur L. Kellermann, Forbes, 26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Someone who isn't communicative and can't face difficult discussions might resort to passive aggressiveness instead of self-reflection.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
  • And being more communicative even in my family, being more open, vulnerable and being a little better with my words of affirmation. Martin: Did your parents embrace that part of American culture?
    Rachel Martin, NPR, 24 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • Initially, resistance was mostly rhetorical and for show, with disgruntled residents gathering to air their grievances in public and private meetings.
    Joseph Thorndike, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
  • Antithesis This is a rhetorical technique in which there are two contrasting ideas in one sentence to create emphasis.
    Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 3 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near verbal

Cite this Entry

“Verbal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/verbal. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

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