What does colloquialness mean?
Colloquialness is the abstract noun describing the quality of being colloquial — that is, having the relaxed, informal, conversational character of everyday spoken language. Where the adjective 'colloquial' describes a phrase, style, or register, 'colloquialness' names that quality itself, allowing writers to speak of the degree or presence of conversational flavor in a text. A memoir full of slang and casual asides might be said to possess a high degree of colloquialness, while a legal contract would show almost none. The word derives from the same root as 'colloquial': the Latin verb colloqui, meaning 'to converse,' formed from com- ('together') plus loqui ('to speak'). In practice it is a fairly rare term, used mostly in literary criticism and linguistics, and many writers prefer the commoner 'informality' or the more technical 'colloquiality.' It is neutral in connotation: colloquialness can be praised as warmth and authenticity, or criticized as sloppiness, depending on the setting.
nounThe quality or state of being colloquial; the degree to which speech or writing has the informal, conversational character typical of everyday spoken language.
- The quality of being colloquial; the informal, conversational character of speech or writing.
"The essay's charm lies less in its arguments than in its warm colloquialness."
"Reviewers praised the novel's colloquialness, noting that its dialogue reads the way people actually talk."
"In academic prose, even a hint of colloquialness can strike editors as out of place."
A plural is grammatically possible but essentially never used, since the word denotes an abstract quality; treat it as uncountable in practice.
"The two translations differ chiefly in their degrees of colloquialness."
'Colloquialness' is the noun for whatever makes language sound like chat over coffee instead of a lecture — and it comes from a Latin verb meaning simply 'to talk together.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of colloquialness
Colloquialness is formed from 'colloquial,' which English borrowed in the mid-18th century from Latin colloqui, 'to converse,' a compound of com- ('together') and loqui ('to speak'). The suffix -ness turns the adjective into an abstract noun denoting the quality itself. It shares its ultimate root with other Latinate speaking-words such as colloquium, loquacious, eloquent, and soliloquy, all descendants of loqui. As a derivative formation it entered English later than its base adjective and remains comparatively rare.
Related word forms
How colloquialness is actually used
Colloquialness is a relatively uncommon abstract noun, treated as uncountable in ordinary use; writers who need this concept often reach for the more familiar 'informality' or the more technical 'colloquiality' instead. It carries no strong positive or negative connotation on its own — whether the quality is a virtue or a fault depends entirely on the context.
Easily confused with colloquialness
Colloquial is an adjective describing language as informal and conversational, while colloquialness is the noun naming that quality itself.
Both are nouns for the same underlying quality, but colloquiality is the more established term in linguistic writing, while colloquialness is a rarer alternative.