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discourse

noun · verb

Simple meaning

Extended verbal expression in speech or writing.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

diskawrs

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈdɪskɔɹs

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. Extended verbal expression in speech or writing

  2. uncountable

    Expression in words, either speech or writing.

  3. countable

    A conversation.

  4. countable

    A formal lengthy exposition of some subject, either spoken or written.

  5. countable

    Any rational expression, reason.

verb

  1. Carry on a conversation

  2. intransitive

    To engage in discussion or conversation; to converse.

  3. Talk at length and formally about a topic

  4. intransitive

    To write or speak formally and at length.

  5. To exercise reason; to employ the mind in judging and inferring; to reason.

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Extended verbal expression in speech or writing

Used this way, discourse is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use discourse

  • “The academic discourse on climate change continues to evolve.”

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.