bilingual

adjective

bi·​lin·​gual (ˌ)bī-ˈliŋ-gwəl 

also -gyə-wəl

1

: having or expressed in two languages

a bilingual document

an officially bilingual nation

2

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

bilingual in English and Japanese

3

: of or relating to bilingual education

bilingual noun

bilingually adverb

Examples of bilingual in a Sentence

Several of the employees are bilingual.

He is bilingual in English and Japanese.

She grew up in a bilingual community.

The town has an excellent bilingual education program.

Recent Examples on the Web

The website, Navegante, is available in both English and Spanish and helps users find nearby schools that offer bilingual support in Spanish and Indigenous languages. —Erick Trevino, AZCentral.com, 6 Mar. 2026

Drucilla Ramirez, a third grade bilingual teacher and organizing chair for the union, said some classes have as many as 34 students and teachers don’t have aides in the classroom. —Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 5 Mar. 2026

Though the school was technically bilingual, their teachers mostly spoke Spanish. —Caitlin Dickerson, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026

The program provides bilingual homebuyer education classes to prepare people to buy and keep a home, according to the organization. —Jack Perry, The Providence Journal, 27 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin bilinguis, from bi- + lingua tongue — more at tongue

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing bilingual

• bilingual education

Rhymes for bilingual

• sublingual
• trilingual
• lingual
• monolingual

Kids Definition

bilingual

adjective

bi·​lin·​gual (ˌ)bī-ˈliŋ-g(yə-)wəl 

1

: of, expressed in, or using two languages

a bilingual dictionary

2

: able to use two languages especially with fluency