Diwali

noun

Di·​wa·​li də-ˈwä-lē 

-ˈvä-

variants or less commonly Divali or Dewali

plural Diwalis also Divalis or Dewalis

: a Hindu festival of lights held in late October or early November

Candlelight and lanterns are traditional beacons of autumn and winter for many cultures—from Diwali to Christmas to Hanukkah—as communities usher in longer nights.

—Leeta-Rose Ballester

Examples of Diwali in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Other elective holidays that state workers can pick from include Lunar New Year, Genocide Remembrance Day, Diwali and Juneteenth. — William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 19 May 2026

It is planned as a two-part global release, with Part 1 arriving during Diwali 2026 and Part 2 following on Diwali 2027. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Apr. 2026

Holi, a vibrant welcome to the coming of spring, saw Hindus around the world celebrating on Wednesday, March 4. Known as the festival of color, Holi is one of the two major celebrations related to the religion of Hinduism, alongside Diwali, the festival of lights. — Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 5 Mar. 2026

On a trip to India during Diwali last autumn, Starbucks International CEO Brady Brewer tried a saffron tiramisu, as well as a spicy sandwich with chicken tikka at one of the American coffee-shop giant’s local stores. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 29 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Hindi dīvālī, divālī, going back to Middle Indo-Aryan dīvālī-, dīvāvalī-, going back to Sanskrit dīpāvaliḥ "row of lights, the Diwali festival," from dīpaḥ "lamp, light" (noun extracted from dīpayati "[s/he] sets alight, lights, illuminates," causative derivative from the base of dī́deti "[it] shines, is bright") + āvaliḥ "row, line" (of uncertain origin) — more at psychedelic entry 1

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Diwali

• akali
• bengali
• loblolly
• naphtali
• nepali
• secale
• somali
• colley
• collie
• dolly
• folly
• golly