pho·nol·o·gy
fə-ˈnä-lə-jē 
fō-
1
: the science of speech sounds including especially the history and theory of sound changes in a language or in two or more related languages
phonological
ˌfō-nə-ˈlä-ji-kəl
adjective
also ˌfä-
or less commonly phonologic
ˌfō-nə-ˈlä-jik
also ˌfä-
pho·no·log·i·cal
¦fōnᵊl¦äjə̇kəl
-jēk-
variants
or less commonly phonologic
-jik
-jēk
: of or relating to phonology
Examples of phonology in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Steve Nadis,
Wired News,
14 Dec. 2025
In the phonology task, the group made up 30 new mini-languages, as Beguš called them, to find out whether the LLMs could correctly infer the phonological rules without any prior knowledge.
—
Steve Nadis,
Quanta Magazine,
31 Oct. 2025
An expert in music and mathematics and an authority on English phonology, he had been contacted by the editor James Murray to assist with compiling what would become the Oxford English Dictionary.
—
Malcolm Forbes,
WSJ,
7 Dec. 2023
To me, the most interesting result here is that taboo words don't have a characteristic phonology, but phonology does determine how easily a word can be paired with a taboo term.
—
Neuroskeptic,
Discover Magazine,
31 Mar. 2020
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Noun
In the phonology task, the group made up 30 new mini-languages, as Beguš called them, to find out whether the LLMs could correctly infer the phonological rules without any prior knowledge.
—
Steve Nadis,
Wired News,
14 Dec. 2025
In the phonology task, the group made up 30 new mini-languages, as Beguš called them, to find out whether the LLMs could correctly infer the phonological rules without any prior knowledge.
—
Steve Nadis,
Quanta Magazine,
31 Oct. 2025
An expert in music and mathematics and an authority on English phonology, he had been contacted by the editor James Murray to assist with compiling what would become the Oxford English Dictionary.
—
Malcolm Forbes,
WSJ,
7 Dec. 2023
To me, the most interesting result here is that taboo words don't have a characteristic phonology, but phonology does determine how easily a word can be paired with a taboo term.
—
Neuroskeptic,
Discover Magazine,
31 Mar. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Phonology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phonology. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
phonology
noun
pho·nol·o·gy
fə-ˈnäl-ə-jē, fō-
plural phonologies
1
: the science of speech sounds including especially the history and theory of sound changes in a language or in two or more related languages
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