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

Tejal Vallam of Rocky Hill wrote that Diwali is one of the most important holidays for Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists in the state. —Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 29 Mar. 2025

Dinosaur Diary will land on May 5, with Kasukabe Dancers in India debuting during Diwali season in October. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2025

How is Diwali celebrated? Diwali celebrations begin by devotees deep cleaning their homes and surroundings to prepare for the goddess' arrival, as per Smithsonian. —Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 4 Nov. 2024

Shruti, who did not share her last name due to privacy concerns, said that her San Jose home was burglarized while her family was at a friend’s home to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali. —Caelyn Pender, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025

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