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Lavatory vs. Toilet: Know the Difference

Shumaila Saeed
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
A lavatory generally refers to a room equipped with facilities for washing, often including a toilet, while a toilet specifically refers to the fixture used for urination and defecation.
Lavatory vs. Toilet

Key Differences

Lavatory typically denotes a room that includes a variety of sanitary facilities like sinks, toilets, and sometimes showers, focusing on hygiene and personal care, whereas a toilet specifically denotes the fixture or stall used for urination and defecation.
Shumaila Saeed
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023
The term lavatory is often used in public or commercial settings to indicate restrooms that offer comprehensive facilities, including hand-washing stations, whereas the term toilet usually refers to the individual fixture within these rooms or a small room in a private home containing just this fixture.
Shumaila Saeed
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023
In the context of language and culture, lavatory is considered a more formal or polite term, especially in British English, whereas toilet is a more direct term and can be considered less formal.
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Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023
The lavatory's function extends beyond waste elimination, encompassing aspects of personal grooming and cleanliness, whereas the toilet's primary function is waste disposal, with its design and use centered on this purpose.
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Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023
In aviation or railway travel, lavatories include limited space with a combination of toilet and sink, emphasizing compactness and efficiency, while the toilet in these contexts is typically a single fixture within the confined lavatory space.
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Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023
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Comparison Chart

Definition

A room with facilities for washing, often including a toilet
A fixture for urination and defecation
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Nov 29, 2023

Usage Context

Public or commercial settings, airplanes, trains
Private and public restrooms, homes
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Formality

More formal or polite term
More direct, less formal term
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Function

Includes washing and personal grooming
Primarily for waste elimination
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Nov 29, 2023

Design

Can include a combination of sanitary facilities
Singular fixture focused on waste disposal
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Lavatory and Toilet Definitions

Lavatory

A facility in commercial settings for personal hygiene.
The train's lavatory included a compact sink.
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Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Toilet

A fixture used for urination and defecation.
Their new house has a separate toilet in the master bathroom.
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Nov 29, 2023

Lavatory

A public restroom with multiple sanitary facilities.
She went to the lavatory to freshen up.
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Nov 29, 2023

Toilet

A less formal term for the restroom or bathroom.
The sign read: Toilet for customers only.
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Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Lavatory

A polite term for a room with toilet and washing facilities.
The restaurant's lavatories were exceptionally clean.
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Nov 29, 2023
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Toilet

An apparatus for defecation and urination, usually consisting of a bowl fitted with a hinged seat and connected to a waste pipe and a flushing apparatus.
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Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

A room equipped with washing and often toilet facilities; a bathroom.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

A room or booth containing such an apparatus.
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Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

A washbowl or basin, especially one permanently installed with running water.
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Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

The act or process of dressing or grooming oneself.
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Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

A flush toilet.
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Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

Dress; attire; costume.
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Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

A vessel or fixture for washing, particularly:
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Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

The cleansing of a body area as part of a surgical or medical procedure.
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Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

A laver: a washbasin.
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Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

(Archaic) A dressing table.
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Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

(archaic) A bathtub.
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Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

A room or enclosed area containing a fixture used for urination and defecation (i.e. a toilet (sense 2)): a bathroom or water closet.
Sorry, I was in the toilet.
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Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

(Christianity) A piscina: the basin used for washing communion vessels.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

A fixture used for urination and defecation, particularly one with a large bowl and ring-shaped seat which uses water to flush the waste material into a septic tank or sewer system.
My toilet backed up. Now the bathroom's flooded.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

(Christianity) A lavabo: the basin used for washing one's hands before handling the Eucharist.
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Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

(figuratively) A very shabby or dirty place.
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Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

A baptismal font: the basin used for baptism, used figuratively for the washing away of sins.
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Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

(NZ) A small secondary lavatory having a fixture used for urination and defecation (i.e. a toilet (sense 2)) and sink but no bathtub or shower.toilet
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

(construction, interior design) A plumbing fixture used for washing: a sink.
Their 'bathroom' included a toilet and a lavatory but no bath.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

(obsolete) A covering of linen, silk, or tapestry, spread over a dressing table in a chamber or dressing room.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

Handwashing as an act, particularly
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

(obsolete) The table covered by such a cloth; a dressing table.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

(Christianity) The lavabo: the ritual washing of hands before handling the eucharist.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

Personal grooming; the process of washing, dressing and arranging the hair.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

(Christianity) The ritual washing of hands after using the piscina to clean the communion vessels.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

One's style of dressing: dress, outfit.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

(obsolete) A liquid used in washing; a lotion; a wash; a rinse.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

(archaic) A dressing room.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

(dated) A washroom: a room used for washing the face and hands.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

(obsolete) A chamber pot.
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Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

(euphemism) A room containing a toilet: a bathroom US or WC UK.
Americans don't know 'WC' and Brits mock 'bathroom' but everyone usually understands 'toilet' or 'lavatory'.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

(dated) To dress and groom oneself.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

A plumbing fixture for urination and defecation: a toilet.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

To use the toilet.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

(dated) A place to wash clothes: a laundry.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

To assist another (a child, etc.) in using the toilet.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

(obsolete) A place where gold is panned.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

A covering of linen, silk, or tapestry, spread over a table in a chamber or a dressing room.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

(obsolete) A paved room in a mortuary where corpses are kept under a shower of disinfecting fluid.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

A dressing table.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

(dated) Washing, or cleansing by washing.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

Act or mode of dressing, or that which is arranged in dressing; attire; dress; as, her toilet is perfect.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

Washing, or cleansing by washing.
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Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

A room equipped with toilet facilities
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Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

A place for washing.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

A plumbing fixture for defecation and urination
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

A basin or other vessel for washing in.
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Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

Misfortune resulting in lost effort or money;
His career was in the gutter
All that work went down the sewer
Pensions are in the toilet
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

A wash or lotion for a diseased part.
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Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

The act of dressing and preparing yourself;
He made his morning toilet and went to breakfast
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

A place where gold is obtained by washing.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

A small room or cubicle containing this fixture.
He went to clean the toilet before guests arrived.
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Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Lavatory

A room containing one or more sinks for washing, as well as one or more toilet fixtures; also called bathroom, toilet, and sometimes commode. Commode and toilet may refer to a room with only a toilet fixture, but without a sink.
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

The act of using this fixture, especially in children's language.
The teacher asked if anyone needed to go to the toilet before the field trip.
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Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Lavatory

A room equipped with toilet facilities
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Toilet

A room in a private residence containing this fixture.
They renovated the downstairs toilet to include a small sink.
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Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Lavatory

A bathroom or lavatory sink that is permanently installed and connected to a water supply and drainpipe; where you wash your hands and face;
He ran some water in the basin and splashed it on his face
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Shumaila Saeed
Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

A toilet that is cleaned of waste by the flow of water through it
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Oct 19, 2023

Lavatory

A room containing facilities for washing and often a toilet.
The airplane had a small lavatory at the back.
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Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Lavatory

A bathroom or washroom in formal or polite usage.
Please excuse me, I need to use the lavatory.
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Nov 29, 2023

Repeatedly Asked Queries

Can a lavatory exist without a toilet?

Yes, a lavatory can just have washing facilities without a toilet.
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Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Are toilets found only in lavatories?

Toilets can also be standalone in small rooms or cubicles.
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Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Is "Lavatory" considered a formal or polite term?

"Lavatory" is a formal and polite term for restroom facilities.
Shumaila Saeed
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Is toilet a polite term to use in formal settings?

Toilet is less formal; lavatory or restroom is preferred in formal settings.
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Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Is "Toilet" specific to a certain type of facility?

"Toilet" can refer to a fixture in both public restrooms and residential bathrooms.
Shumaila Saeed
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Is "Toilet" considered a polite term for the fixture?

While "toilet" is commonly used, it may be considered less formal than "lavatory" or "restroom."
Shumaila Saeed
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Do all toilets include washing facilities?

No, some toilets, especially in small spaces, may not include washing facilities.
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Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Is lavatory a common term in American English?

It's less common; restroom or bathroom is more usual in American English.
Shumaila Saeed
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Are there different types of lavatories in public places?

Yes, there are typically separate lavatories for men and women in public places.
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Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Are there different types of toilets, such as squat toilets and flush toilets?

Yes, there are various types of toilets worldwide, including squat toilets, flush toilets, and composting toilets.
Shumaila Saeed
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Can "Lavatory" also refer to an aircraft restroom?

Yes, "lavatory" is commonly used to refer to the restroom on an aircraft.
Shumaila Saeed
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Is "Toilet" more commonly used in British or American English?

"Toilet" is used in both British and American English and is a common term for the fixture.
Shumaila Saeed
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Can "Lavatory" also refer to a room without toilets, just sinks?

Yes, "lavatory" can refer to a room with sinks for handwashing, often found in public spaces.
Shumaila Saeed
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

What is the origin of the word "Toilet"?

The word "toilet" comes from the French term "toilette," meaning a dressing room or a place for personal grooming.
Shumaila Saeed
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Can "Toilet" also refer to the entire bathroom?

In some regions, "toilet" is used to refer to the entire bathroom, including the fixtures and the room.
Shumaila Saeed
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

Can "Toilet" also refer to the act of using the restroom?

Yes, "toilet" can refer to both the fixture and the action of using it.
Shumaila Saeed
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 29, 2023

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Shumaila Saeed
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Shumaila Saeed
Shumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.

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