oral
- 01 B1 Intermediate
adj.spoken rather than written.
adj.relating to or expressed in spoken words rather than written text.
Simple“The local people have a strong oral tradition of storytelling.”
In context“The historian relied on oral testimonies from survivors to reconstruct the events of the mid-century migration.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.relating to the mouth or used in the mouth.
adj.relating to, affecting, or for use in the mouth.
Simple“Good oral health is important for your overall well-being.”
In context“The patient was prescribed an oral antibiotic to be taken twice daily after meals for the duration of the week.”
UsageOften used in medical contexts like 'oral hygiene' or 'oral medication'.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a spoken test or examination, especially in a language class.
n.an examination conducted by spoken communication rather than in writing.
Simple“I passed the written part of the French test, but I am nervous about the oral.”
In context“Candidates are required to demonstrate their fluency during a twenty-minute oral conducted by a panel of native speakers.”
Synonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
n.a common way to refer to oral sex.
n.an informal ellipsis for oral sex.
Simple“The book discusses how young adults view oral in modern relationships.”
In context“The survey results indicated a shift in how teenagers categorise oral compared to penetrative intercourse.”
oral vs verbal — Oral refers exclusively to spoken communication, while verbal relates to the use of words in any form, whether written or spoken.
“It also protects the teeth and oral tissues.”
“Alongside oral histories, lahars leave their mark in buried forests and deep, distinct layers of unsorted sediment and rocks.”
PIE word *h₁óh₃s Early 17th century borrowing from Late Latin ōrālis, from ōs (“the mouth”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.