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

All venues are equipped with accessibility measures including audio descriptions, sign language interpretation and multilingual dubbing. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Nov. 2025

King George’s own coalition was no less multicultural, multilingual, and multinational. —Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025

Pop stars often talk about working hard, but Rosalía makes most of her peers seem lazy, and, indeed, any listener not inclined to embark upon a multilingual research project may end up feeling a bit lazy, too. —Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2025

Of course such a thing would be catchy and multilingual. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1