Malayalam

American

[mal-uh-yah-luhm] / ˌmæl əˈyɑ ləm /

noun

a Dravidian language spoken in extreme southwestern India.

Malayalam British

/ ˌmælɪˈɑːləm /

noun

a language of SW India, belonging to the Dravidian family and closely related to Tamil: the state language of Kerala

"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

What is Malayalam? Malayalam is a language spoken in the southwest of India, particularly in the state of Kerala. The word Malayalam can also be used as an adjective to describe the culture of the people who speak this language.

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 Malayalam cinema, Feminichi Fathima - with "Feminichi" a social-media distortion of "feminist" - used humour to follow a Muslim housewife's quiet rebellion against patriarchy.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026

But unlike the steady stream of content from other regional cinema - such as Malayalam films from Kerala - Marathi films still emerge in bursts.

From BBC • May 28, 2025

Facing immense social and financial pressure, the director, who is now widely regarded as the father of Malayalam cinema, never made another film.

From BBC • May 17, 2025

Ms Raghavan is fondly known as Meenakshi Amma - Amma means mother in the Malayalam language - in Kerala's Vadakara, where she lives.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2025

“In Malayalam my teacher always said that ‘Smiling means it wasn’t me.’

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