a native or inhabitant of Bali
the language of the people of Bali, belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian family
See Balinese cat
Balinese is used as a plural noun (a candidate favored by the Balinese ), but it's relatively rare as a singular noun (the candidate who is a Balinese ).
First recorded in 1810–20; from Dutch Balinees, equivalent to Bali Bali + -n- connective + -ees -ese
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Local resentment is rising, with social media vigilantes putting misbehaving tourists on blast - even as the Balinese maintain their world-famous hospitality.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2025
"It's the Balinese Hindu culture that has created this myth of the place."
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2025
At only 30, Maripaz has hands that fan and twist like a Balinese dancer’s, a wavering voice, and a stiff, awkward gait.
From New York Times ● May 23, 2023
But the Balinese people were as welcoming as ever, and the place was still rife with rowdy tourists.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 11, 2023
Where The Beades had plundered music hall, centuries-old Anglo-Celtic folk and the sounds of the 1960s electronic avant- garde, Steve Reich derived his inspirations from African drumming and Balinese gamelan music.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
