Meanings
nounlanguage game (plural language games)
plural language games
- human sciencesA set of rules governing how participants respond to utterings.
- A game that is based on players’ knowledge of a language or languages, such as fictionary, hangman. etc.
- A method of manipulating words so that the layman would find it hard to understand, such as pig Latin, gibberish, etc.
Synonyms: ludling
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA method of manipulating words so that the layman would find it hard to understand, such as pig Latin, gibberish, etc.
Similar
Also see
Origin
- GermanSprachspiel
- Englishlanguage game
Calque of German Sprachspiel, coined by Ludwig Wittgenstein.
More words from German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Danish sprogspil
- sprogspilin philosophy
Finnish kielipeli
- kielipeliin philosophy
German Sprachspiel
- Sprachspielin philosophy
Polish zasady rozmowy
- zasady rozmowyin philosophy
Cite this entry
APA
language game. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/language%20game
MLA
“language game.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/language%20game. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “language game,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/language%20game.
Source: language game on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.