Diwali

noun

Di·​wa·​li də-ˈwä-lē How to pronounce Diwali (audio)
-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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For example, Ogilvy powered a campaign for Mondelez's Cadbury that featured a digital avatar of Shah Rukh Khan, leading to a 35% growth in sales during Diwali. Jiajun Lu, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for Diwali

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of Diwali was in 1698

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Cite this Entry

“Diwali.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Diwali. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

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