Formal
Academic or scholarly, professional, no slang or colloquial language
Informal
everyday, slang, colloquial, vulgar
Colloquial
an expression used in informal conversation but not accepted universally
Slang
Words or phrases - very informal - often generational
Jargon
Special words or phrases used by a profession or group - difficult for others to understand
Monosyllabic
One syllable
Polysyllabic
Two or more syllables
Denotative
Dictionary definition
Connotative
Feeling or emotion that a word evokes
Cacophonous
A harsh mixture of sounds
Euphonious
Pleasant sounding
Abstract
non tangible (emotions) ex: love
Concrete
tangible ex: dog
Artificial
False, non existent language
Bombastic
pompous, ostentatious
Cultured
Refined, finished
Detached
cut-off or removed (aloof)
Esoteric
Understood by a very few
Euphemistic
Insincere, affected (to make something seem less unpleasant)
Grotesque
Hideous, horrid
Homespun
Folksy, rustic, homey
Idiomatic
peculiar
Insipid
uninteresting, dull
Moralistic
righteous, puritanical
Obtuse
dull-witted
Pedantic
Bookish but in a "preachy" way
Pretentious
snobbish, pompous
Provincial
unpolished
Scholarly
Intellectual, Academic
Trite
Common, stereotypical (basic)
Vulgar
indecent or tasteless