- Today's Word
Colloquial
kuh-LOH-kwee-uhl
Definition
(adjective) Used in everyday, informal speech rather than formal language.
Example
Her writing had a colloquial tone that made complex topics easy to understand.
Fun Fact
“Colloquial” comes from Latin colloquium—literally “conversation.” It’s how we speak off the cuff, full of contractions, slang, and casual phrasing. Colloquial language brings relatability and voice, especially in dialogue and branding. What’s proper in a textbook might sound stiff in a coffee shop.
(adjective) Obviously planned or forced rather than arising naturally; lacking authenticity or spontaneity.
The film’s ending felt contrived — a sudden reconciliation between characters who had spent two hours proving they could never forgive each other.
Contrived comes from the verb contrive, rooted in the Old French controver, meaning “to imagine” or “to find out,” itself from the Latin contropare — “to compare” or “to devise.” It entered English in the 14th century originally meaning simply to plan or devise something cleverly. Over time the word acquired its current negative undertone, shifting from neutral ingenuity toward the suggestion of something manipulated or artificially engineered to produce a desired effect.