Kerala

American

[key-ruh-luh, ker-uh-] / ˈkeɪ rə lə, ˈkɛr ə- /

noun

a state in SW India: formerly the regions of Travancore and Cochin. 15,005 sq. mi. (38,836 sq. km). Thiruvananthapuram.

Kerala British

/ kəˈrɑːlə, ˈkɛrələ /

noun

a state of SW India, on the Arabian Sea: formed in 1956, it includes the former state of Travancore-Cochin; has the highest population density of any Indian state. Capital: Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram). Pop: 31 838 619 (2001). Area: 38 863 sq km (15 005 sq miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In Kerala, despite its latest setback, the Left remains politically consequential.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

It won only one out of 234 seats in Tamil Nadu and three out of 140 in next-door Kerala, both of which have significant numbers of Christians and Muslims.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

Indian Communists lost Kerala, their last remaining stronghold, to the center-left Congress Party.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that medical experts from other states would be brought to treat the burn victims, if needed.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

Even Chacko had no really complete explanation for why the Communist Party was so much more successful in Kerala than it had been almost anywhere else in India, except perhaps in West Bengal.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023