Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Nepalese

American  
[nep-uh-leez, -lees] / ˌnɛp əˈliz, -ˈlis /

adjective

  1. of or relating to Nepal, its inhabitants, or their language.


noun

Nepalese plural
  1. a native or inhabitant of Nepal.

  2. Nepali.

Nepalese British  
/ ˌnɛpəˈliːz /

adjective

  1. of or relating to Nepal or its inhabitants

"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

noun

  1. a native or inhabitant of Nepal

"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

Usage

Nepalese is used as a plural noun (a candidate favored by the Nepalese ), but it's relatively rare as a singular noun (the candidate who is a Nepalese ).

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of Nepalese

First recorded in 1810–20; Nepal + -ese

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.

See Examples For:

In a tiny Tokyo restaurant filled with the smell of Nepalese dumplings, Budhathoki Samjhana surveys the business she built from scratch but may now have to give up as Japan tightens visa rules.

From Barron's Jul. 1, 2026

Standouts include the carnitas tacos and tamarind agua fresca at El Taco Torro, creative pies at Pizza Luna, house-smoked barbecue from Rollin Nolen’s BBQ, and Indian and Nepalese street food from Momo Dosa.

From Salon Jun. 11, 2026

He spent his teenage years in Vienna, Va., a wealthy suburb of Washington, D.C., the firstborn of Nepalese immigrants.

From The Wall Street Journal May 9, 2026

But Everest, first scaled in 1953 by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, was a far more formidable and dangerous beast.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 8, 2026

The latrines were so abhorrent that most people, Nepalese and Westerners alike, evacuated their bowels outside on the open ground, wherever the urge struck.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training