solecism.

1. A mistake in the accepted grammar or wording of an expression, especially an awkward word combination.

2. An action or remark that breaks accepted standards of politeness or proper social behavior.

3. A feature that violates an expected pattern, established convention, or accepted arrangement of things.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• commit a solecism
• grammatical solecism
• a solecism in usage

On the page

The copyeditor caught a solecism in the article's opening sentence.

The narrator's occasional solecisms help distinguish his voice.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated prose. Lexical Type: Word. Forms: Singular solecism; plural solecisms. Commonness: uncommon (editorial estimate; not a corpus frequency statistic). Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1; numbered fields keep each relevant meaning separate. Research distinction: Direct dictionary reading: ungrammatical word combination/minor speech blunder; deviation from proper, normal, or accepted order; breach of etiquette/decorum. Three genuine scopes retained, with context-dependent standards stated. Individual usefulness checked for a precise literary, narrative, dialogue or critical function. Definitions and examples are original; commonness is an editorial estimate. Mood and intensity apply only to inherent qualities of the specific sense. Writing functions: mistakes in speech or manners, a feature violating an established convention.