native tongue

NOUN

mother tongue

Synonyms

STRONGEST

first language

WEAK

natal tongue native speech parent language vernacular

NOUN

speech

Synonyms

STRONGEST

conversation dialogue discussion expression language tone voice

STRONG

accent articulation communication dialect diction doublespeak elocution enunciation idiom intercourse jargon lingo locution palaver parlance prattle pronunciation prose speaking spiel tongue utterance verbalization vernacular vocalization vocalizing voicing

WEAK

double talk expressing mother tongue oral communication vocal expression

Antonyms

STRONGEST

quiet silence

STRONG

standard

WEAK

listening

NOUN

verbalization

Synonyms

STRONG

accent articulation communication conversation dialect dialogue diction discourse discussion doublespeak elocution enunciation expression idiom intercourse jargon language lingo locution palaver parlance prattle pronunciation prose speaking spiel talk tone tongue utterance vernacular vocalization vocalizing voice voicing

WEAK

double talk expressing mother tongue oral communication vocal expression

Antonyms

STRONG

quiet silence standard

NOUN

vernacular

Synonyms

STRONGEST

argot dialect idiom jargon lingo parlance patois slang

STRONG

cant language patter phraseology speech tongue

WEAK

jive talk lingua franca street talk

Antonyms

STRONGEST

standard

STRONG

quiet silence

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the same way that learning another language helps us understand our native tongue more deeply, travel forms character through lived experience.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Somewhere along the line, she also became extremely adept at writing in English, as her novels are not written in her native tongue.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 5, 2026

She has no background in instruction, and the only language that she and her pupils share is English, which is not a native tongue for any of them.

From New York Times • Nov. 21, 2024

French became my native tongue, even though English is now my strongest language because I've been working in English as a journalist for 25 or 26 years.

From Salon • Feb. 27, 2024

He can’t help us with Irish because he’s from the North and lacking in the native tongue.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

native tongue

Example Sentences

Related Words