multilingual

From multi- +‎ lingual.

• IPA^(key): /ˌmʌltiˈlɪŋɡwəl/, /ˌmʌltiˈlɪŋɡju.əl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪŋɡwəl

multilingual (comparative more multilingual, superlative most multilingual)

1. Of, relating to, or involving multiple languages.

   Synonyms: many-tongued, multilanguage, multilinguistic, plurilingual

   • 2018, James Lambert, “A multitude of ‘lishes’: The nomenclature of hybridity”, in English World-Wide‎^[1], page 9:

     In reality, the multidimensionality of language contact in multilingual environments ensures no such neat compartmentalisation.

   • 2025 September 25, Jacob Judah, “How AI and Wikipedia have sent vulnerable languages into a doom spiral”, in MIT Technology Review‎^[2]:

     Wikipedia is the most ambitious multilingual project after the Bible: There are editions in over 340 languages, and a further 400 even more obscure ones are being developed and tested.

2. (of a person) Able to communicate in a number of languages.

   Synonym: polyglot

   Antonyms: monolingual, unilingual

   Hyponyms: bilingual, trilingual

   • 2017 April 2, Maureen O'Hare, “Does being bilingual make you sexy?”, in CNN‎^[3]:

     So being multilingual can make you more appealing, more successful and more compassionate. And it’s also good for your health.

   • 2021 December 18, Ching Ching Tan, “Spielberg’s West Side Story shows us the value of multilingualism”, in CNN‎^[4]:

     Describing us as multilingual emphasizes our achievements and that learning English adds to the richness of our identity.

multilingual (plural multilinguals)

1. A polyglot.