choice of words
31
3.8
- noun
:
elección de palabras
- With a firm hand and a penetrating choice of words, she penned an inscription which chokes me up every time I read it.
- a careful choice of words
It's chemicals, which I thought was an interesting choice of words.
- It's chemicals, which I thought was an interesting choice of words.
Examples
-
As teachers, our choice of words can wound and confuse or reassure and instruct.
Academic text (2012) -
He regretted his choice of words when he saw her upset expression.
-
That was perhaps a poor choice of words back there.
-
Not the best choice of words, but again, thank you.
-
Okay, it was a bad choice of words.
-
An interesting choice of words.
-
I can imagine the choice of words was pretty straightforward.
-
That's a very interesting choice of words.
-
I don't care for your choice of words.
-
That's a bad choice of words.
Synonyms
187
4.1
A word or phrase used by people in a certain situation with a special meaning
57
3.4
The way words are used to express an idea
22
3.4
How words are chosen and put together to show meaning
9
1.0
Things someone says or writes to show ideas and feelings
5
8.2
The words and expressions someone uses to say ideas in a particular style
4
6.1
The choice of words and how people use them in speech or writing
Antonyms
How Careful
31
3.8
- Informal
7
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the specific words someone uses' is directly and transparently derivable from combining 'choice' (selection) with the prepositional link 'of' and 'words' (utterances), yielding 'selection of words.' This is a straightforward, compositional noun phrase pattern found across many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily understand it.
Etymology
Choice of words gives a clear picture: a person's choice, or picking, of words from many options, like a painter choosing colors. That's why it means the exact words someone uses to 'say' something.