- the nonstandard use of a grammatical construction
- any mistake, incongruity, or absurdity
- a violation of good manners
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
sol•e•cism /ˈsɑləˌsɪzəm/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Grammara nonstandard or ungrammatical usage, as unflammable or they was.
- any error, improper act, or inconsistency.
sol•e•cism
(sol′ə siz′əm, sō′lə-),USA pronunciation n.
sol′e•cist, n.
sol′e•cis′tic, sol′e•cis′ti•cal, adj.
sol′e•cis′ti•cal•ly, adv.
- Grammara nonstandard or ungrammatical usage, as unflammable and they was.
- a breach of good manners or etiquette.
- any error, impropriety, or inconsistency.
- Greek soloikismós, equivalent. to sóloik(os) (Sólo(i) a city in Cilicia where a corrupt form of Attic Greek was spoken + -ikos -ic) + -ismos -ism
- Latin soloecismus
- 1570–80
sol′e•cis′tic, sol′e•cis′ti•cal, adj.
sol′e•cis′ti•cal•ly, adv.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
solecism /ˈsɒlɪˌsɪzəm/ n
'solecism' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):