Adjacent Words

Diction definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DICTION, n. [L., to speak.] Expression of ideas by words; style; manner of expression.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the articulation of speech regarded from the point of view of its intelligibility to the audience [syn: enunciation, diction]
2: the manner in which something is expressed in words; "use concise military verbiage"- G.S.Patton [syn: wording, diction, phrasing, phraseology, choice of words, verbiage]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Latin diction-, dictio speaking, style, from dicere to say; akin to Old English t?on to accuse, Latin dicare to proclaim, dedicate, Greek deiknynai to show, dik? judgment, right Date: 1581 1. obsolete verbal description 2. choice of words especially with regard to correctness, clearness, or effectiveness 3. a. vocal expression ; enunciation b. pronunciation and enunciation of words in singing • dictional adjective • dictionally adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 the manner of enunciation in speaking or singing. 2 the choice of words or phrases in speech or writing. Etymology: F diction or L dictio f. dicere dict- say

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Diction Dic"tion, n. [L. dicto a saying, a word, fr. dicere, dictum, to say; akin to dicare to proclaim, and to E. teach, token: cf. F. diction. See Teach, and cf. Benison, Dedicate, Index, Judge, Preach, Vengeance.] Choice of words for the expression of ideas; the construction, disposition, and application of words in discourse, with regard to clearness, accuracy, variety, etc.; mode of expression; language; as, the diction of Chaucer's poems. His diction blazes up into a sudden explosion of prophetic grandeur. --De Quincey. Syn: Diction, Style, Phraseology. Usage: Style relates both to language and thought; diction, to language only; phraseology, to the mechanical structure of sentences, or the mode in which they are phrased. The style of Burke was enriched with all the higher graces of composition; his diction was varied and copious; his phraseology, at times, was careless and cumbersome. ``Diction is a general term applicable alike to a single sentence or a connected composition. Errors in grammar, false construction, a confused disposition of words, or an improper application of them, constitute bad diction; but the niceties, the elegancies, the peculiarities, and the beauties of composition, which mark the genius and talent of the writer, are what is comprehended under the name of style.'' --Crabb.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Someone's diction is how clearly they speak or sing. His diction wasn't very good...

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Style, phraseology, language, expression, mode or manner of expression, turn of expression, form of expression. 2. Choice of words, words employed, vocabulary.

Moby Thesaurus

articulation, delivery, elocution, enunciation, expression, expressiveness, inflection, intonation, language, oratory, parlance, phrase, phraseology, phrasing, presentation, pronunciation, rhetoric, speech, terminology, usage, verbalism, verbiage, vocabulary, wordage, wording