as in language
the stock of words, pronunciation, and grammar used by a people as their basic means of communication
although the anthropologist could speak the local language fairly well, she was always glad to find someone who shared her mother tongue
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mother tongue
Playing off a six-language broadcast which means it can be viewed by 75% of Europeans in their mother tongue, Arte is still growing.
—
John Hopewell, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
Work with people of different ages, backgrounds, perspectives, and mother tongues.
—Rachel Konrad, Time, 9 Dec. 2025
Each actress nails the comedic timing – and the accented English that flows with the cadence of their mother tongues.
—Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mother tongue
John Hopewell, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
Work with people of different ages, backgrounds, perspectives, and mother tongues.
—Rachel Konrad, Time, 9 Dec. 2025
Each actress nails the comedic timing – and the accented English that flows with the cadence of their mother tongues.
—Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mother tongue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mother tongue
Noun
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Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong apologized for using vulgar language in a heated exchange with a fan during Sunday’s loss to the Chicago White Sox.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
-
In 1996, Fuhrman pleaded no contest to perjury for falsely denying his use of racist language.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2026
Noun
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Adding complexity, these disparate systems don’t always use the same vocabulary.—
Sarah Jones,
Footwear News,
22 May 2026
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Each has its own vocabulary, grammar, and intellectual flavor.—
Konstantin Kakaes,
Quanta Magazine,
20 May 2026
Noun
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Her name was on the tip of many tongues.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
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Jurado noted that tongues of salt water are already encroaching into some of the freshwater areas of South Florida.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
23 May 2026
Noun
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Yet Cornelius Krull, the patriarch, speaks only a German dialect and never utters more than two words.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
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Many older residents speak not just Italian and Croatian, but also a local dialect derived from Old Venetian and Old Croatian.—
Kevin West,
Travel + Leisure,
8 May 2026
Noun
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And why in the world would anyone composing after the Second World War reëmbrace the long-irrelevant late-Romantic idiom of Puccini and Strauss, with its lush harmonies, rich orchestration, and powerful melodies?—
Russell Platt,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
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These days, Andersen has the idioms flying in Carolina’s locker room.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mother tongue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mother%20tongue. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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