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

Petition training, legal assistance, voter registration, county committee organizing, and multilingual outreach gave emerging leaders the tools to compete. — Joey Saban, New York Daily News, 6 Nov. 2026

His company develops Fluent, a multilingual AI platform designed to operate on-premises or within private and sovereign cloud environments. — Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2026

Jacoby also finds being multilingual valuable in her personal life. — Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026

However, Skipper said declining birth rates, a reduction in multilingual learners and fewer Charlestown families choosing the school have contributed to its enrollment challenges. — Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1