multilingual

adjective

mul·​ti·​lin·​gual ˌməl-tē-ˈliŋ-gwəl 

-ˈliŋ-gyə-wəl, 

-ˌtī-

1

: of, having, or expressed in several languages

a multilingual sign

multilingual dictionaries

2

: using or able to use several languages especially with equal fluency

multilingual translators

multilingualism

ˌməl-tē-ˈliŋ-gwə-ˌli-zəm 

-gyə-wə-, 

-ˌtī-

noun

multilingually

ˌməl-tē-ˈliŋ-gwə-lē 

-gyə-wə-lē, 

-ˌtī-

adverb

Did you know?

The roots of multilingual come from Latin. If you happen to prefer Greek, use the synonym polyglot, in which poly- has the same meaning as multi-, and -glot means the same thing as -lingual. The best way to become multilingual is probably to be born in a bilingual (two-language) household; learning those first two seems to give the mind the kind of exercise that makes later language-learning easy.

Examples of multilingual in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These tools reflect the needs of young children, early readers, multilingual learners, neurodivergent learners, and students with disabilities who may not be best served by text-only interfaces. — Ulrich Boser, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

The Indian case speaks to both the possibility of a genuinely multilingual society and its risks. — Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

For more than a decade, the Department of Education has struggled to recruit multilingual teachers. — Lincoln Restler, New York Daily News, 18 July 2026

Los Angeles County announced Wednesday the launch of multilingual online resources and digital displays aimed at making Board of Supervisors meetings more accessible to the public. — City News Service, Daily News, 15 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1