Bengali

[ ben-gaw-lee, -gah-, beng- ]

/ bɛnˈgɔ li, -ˈgɑ-, bɛŋ- /

Save This Word!

noun

a native or an inhabitant of Bengal; Bengalese.

an Indic language spoken in E India and Bangladesh.

Bengalee.

adjective

of or relating to Bengal, its inhabitants, or their language; Bengalese.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby Bengali

Beng., Bengal, Bengal catechu, Bengalee, Bengalese, Bengali, bengaline, Bengal light, Bengal quince, Bengal tiger, Bengaluru

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Bengali in a sentence

In our Bengali household — we are a famously fish-eating lot — it was quite the scandal.
The Curious Warmth of Grandma’s Kitchen|Sohini Das Gupta|September 17, 2021|Ozy
I forgot then that he was an Afghan raisin-seller and I was a Bengali babu.
The One Story That Captures the Immigrant Experience Like No Other|Suketu Mehta|September 17, 2021|Time
He did that first in a 1972 essay inspired by the plight of Bengali war refugees, where he laid out the drowning child argument for the first time.
The world’s problems overwhelmed me. This book empowered me.|Kelsey Piper|December 11, 2020|Vox
His final stage roles included King Lear, in a Bengali adaptation of Shakespeare’s play.
Soumitra Chatterjee, celebrated Indian actor and ‘one-man stock company’ for Satyajit Ray, dies at 85|Harrison Smith|November 23, 2020|Washington Post

After graduating from the University of Calcutta in what is now Kolkata, he received a master’s degree from the school in Bengali literature.
Soumitra Chatterjee, celebrated Indian actor and ‘one-man stock company’ for Satyajit Ray, dies at 85|Harrison Smith|November 23, 2020|Washington Post
We frequently enjoyed his Bengali vegetarian feasts while discussing different aspects of Eastern philosophy late into the night.
When Gary Wright Met George Harrison: Dream Weaver, John and Yoko, and More|Gary Wright|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Shockingly, there is one nonwhite person in the cast, Salwa, or as MTV has dubbed her, “Bengali in boots.”
‘Duck Dynasty,’ ‘Buckwild,’ ‘Honey Boo Boo,’ and the 99 Percent|Tricia Romano|December 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Verbally, Hindi and Urdu are very similar, and Punjabi and Bengali are related to Hindi and Urdu.
The Insult Behind Obama's U.K. Codename|Asra Q. Nomani|May 24, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The studio also acquired the remake rights to the documentary The Bengali Detective.
The Details on 'The Details'|Nicole LaPorte|January 25, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The language itself is called Rukheng by those who use it; but the Bengali name is Mug.
The Ethnology of the British Colonies and Dependencies|Robert Gordon Latham
If the question were settled by a reference to authorities, the answer would be that the Bengali was essentially Sanskrit.
The Ethnology of the British Colonies and Dependencies|Robert Gordon Latham
There is no single Assamese nationality, and the Assamese language is merely a modern dialect of Bengali.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 2|Various
To outface and down-talk a Calcutta-taught Bengali, a voluble Dacca drug-vendor, would be a good game.
Kim|Rudyard Kipling
But the Bengali, appearing from somewhere, had given them money, and would make shift with their dialect.
Kim|Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for Bengali

Bengali

/ (bɛnˈɡɔːlɪ, bɛŋ-) /

noun

a member of a people living chiefly in Bangladesh and in West Bengal. The West Bengalis are mainly Hindus; the East Bengalis of Bangladesh are mainly Muslims

Also called: Bangla the language of this people: the official language of Bangladesh and the chief language of West Bengal; it belongs to the Indic branch of the Indo-European family

adjective

of or relating to Bengal, the Bengalis, or their language

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