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 free event will feature coffee, conchas (a traditional Mexican sweet bread) and a bilingual discussion, according to the library’s website. —Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026

These sentences, written by Averbuch’s translators Oksana Maksymchuk and Max Rosochinsky, appear on the first page of Averbuch’s facing-page bilingual collection Furious Harvests—the only page in the book where chronology can be told quite so simply. —Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026

Though she was killed before the completion of her first bilingual album, Dreaming of You, it was released posthumously on July 18, 1995. —Jacqueline Weiss, PEOPLE, 31 Mar. 2026

Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon issued a short statement thanking Rousseau for his contributions to Air Canada, adding that the government would make sure the airline offered a bilingual service. —Allison Lampert, USA Today, 30 Mar. 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