monolingual

[ mon-uh-ling-gwuh l or, Canadian, -ling-gyoo-uh l ]

/ ˌmɒn əˈlɪŋ gwəl or, Canadian, -ˈlɪŋ gyu əl /

adjective

knowing or able to use only one language; monoglot.

spoken or written in only one language.

noun

a monolingual person.

Nearby words

monokini, monola, monolatry, monolayer, monoline insurer, monolingual, monolith, monolithic, monolocular, monologue, monology

Origin of monolingual

First recorded in 1950–55; mono- + lingual

Related forms

mon·o·lin·gual·ism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for monolingual

Chang stressed that her detention was far worse for her monolingual Korean parents than for herself.
Despite Obama’s Order, Deportation Looms for an Immigrant Dreamer|Allison Yarrow|June 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The time when the intellectual affairs of America could be conducted on a monolingual basis is over.
Instigations|Ezra Pound

British Dictionary definitions for monolingual

monolingual

/ (ˌmɒnəʊˈlɪŋɡwəl) /

adjective

knowing or expressed in only one language

noun

a monolingual person

Compare bilingual, multilingual

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