bilingual

American  

[bahy-ling-gwuhl, -ling-gyoo-uhl] / baɪˈlɪŋ gwəl, -ˈlɪŋ gyu əl /

adjective

1. able to speak two languages with the facility of a native speaker.

2. spoken, written, or containing similar information in two different languages.

   a bilingual dictionary; Public notices at the embassy are bilingual.

3. of, involving, or using two languages.

   a bilingual community; bilingual schools.

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noun

1. a bilingual person.

bilingual British  

/ baɪˈlɪŋɡwəl /

adjective

1. able to speak two languages, esp with fluency

2. written or expressed in two languages

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noun

1. a bilingual person

Usage

What does bilingual mean? Bilingual is most commonly used to describe someone who can speak or understand two languages, especially with some level of fluency. It can also be used to describe things that involve or that are written or spoken in two languages, as in These instructions are bilingual—they’re written in English and Spanish. The similar terms trilingual and multilingual are used in the same way, with trilingual indicating three languages and multilingual indicating more than two and especially several languages. The ability to speak two languages or the use of two languages is called bilingualism. Example: Being bilingual is a great advantage for many job seekers.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bilingualism
  noun
• bilingually
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of bilingual

1835–45; < Latin bilingu ( is ) ( bi- bi- ¹ + lingu-, stem of lingua tongue + -is adj. suffix) + -al ¹

Explanation

Bilingual is an adjective that describes a person or community that speaks two languages. A bilingual woman might speak Spanish and English, and a part of town where people speak Mandarin and Polish is a bilingual neighborhood. The prefix bi- means “having two,” and the Latin word lingua means “tongue, language,” so bilingual literally means “having two tongues.” It would be a mouthful to have two physical tongues, but luckily bilingual is for language tongues: the ability to speak two languages fluently. Bilingual is also a noun, and a person can be called a bilingual, like in the African country Chad, where the official languages are French and Arabic, and where many of the citizens are bilinguals.

Example Sentences

This article was co-published by the Los Angeles Times and Puente News Collaborative, a bilingual nonprofit newsroom that covers stories from Mexico and the U.S.-Mexico border.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026

The renewal included the preclearance provisions, which have since been destroyed by the Supreme Court and even measures that went beyond the 1965 law, like a requirement that states provide bilingual ballots and election materials.

From Salon • Apr. 30, 2026

The developer would also make $48 million in infrastructure upgrades and provide transparent, bilingual marketing and communication.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026

Media companies a decade ago raced to engage young, bilingual Latinos by launching start-ups, including a joint venture between ABC News and Univision called Fusion that flopped.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

I wasn’t sure the humor translated, because she kept organizing her stack of bilingual flashcards.

From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen