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Definition of "idiomatic" []

  • Peculiar to or characteristic of a given language. (adjective)
  • Characterized by proficient use of idiomatic expressions: a foreigner who speaks idiomatic English. (adjective)
  • Resembling or having the nature of an idiom. (adjective)
  • Using many idioms. (adjective)
  • Peculiar to or characteristic of the style or manner of a particular group or people. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "idiomatic" in a sentence
  • "Eloquently stated in idiomatic English, I'm too lazy."
  • "I'm married to a non-native speaker and I LOVE getting to explain idiomatic (well, and any other cultural nuanced) expressions to him all the time."
  • "We take the vernacular particulars -- that is, the idiomatic particulars that impinge most intimately on our everyday life."