language model
noun
plural language models
: an artificial intelligence model (see model entry 1 sense 3b) that uses machine learning to analyze a corpus of text in order to accurately represent the relationships between words
We have tremendous freedom to put words in any order we like. The computer has to have some kind of handle, a language model. It has to figure how likely any particular word is to pop up at any time.—Robert Mercer, quoted in Chicago Tribune
also
: software that uses a language model to generate text (such as responses to queries or prompts)
For example, given the task of analyzing the sentiment of the sentence 'I missed the bus today,' researchers could continue with the prompt 'I felt so [blank]' and ask a language model to fill in the blank with an emotion. —Kyle Wiggers
see also large language model
Cite this Entry
“Language model.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/language%20model. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.
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