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