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

Developers say nearly every component, from weatherproof casing to motion controls and the multilingual voice system, was built specifically for the robot’s role on the streets. —Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 6 Dec. 2025

In multilingual democracies, AI chatbots can offer real-time conversational translations, support linguistic inclusion and allow voters to ask clarifying questions in their preferred language. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025

With Bad Bunny performing the halftime show, this year’s game also marks the first time that a multilingual signing will take place, with Celimar Rivera Cosme delivering Puerto Rican Sign Language at the event. —Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 1 Dec. 2025

This will also be the first halftime show to feature multilingual signing, with Celimar Rivera Cosme delivering Puerto Rican Sign Language at the event to accompany the headlining performance from Bad Bunny. —Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1