monolingual

American  

[mon-uh-ling-gwuhl, -ling-gyoo-uhl] / ˌmɒn əˈlɪŋ gwəl, -ˈlɪŋ gyu əl /

adjective

1. knowing or able to use only one language; monoglot.

2. spoken or written in only one language.

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noun

1. a monolingual person.

monolingual British  

/ ˌmɒnəʊˈlɪŋɡwəl /

adjective

1. knowing or expressed in only one language

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noun

1. a monolingual person

Usage

What does monolingual mean? Monolingual is used to describe someone who can speak or understand only one language.It can also mean written in, spoken in, or involving only one language.Monolingual is often used in contrast with terms like bilingual (able to speak two languages), trilingual (able to speak three languages), and multilingual (able to speak more than two and especially several languages).The ability to speak or understand only one language or the regular use of only one language is called monolingualism.Example: One of my great regrets is being monolingual and not learning another language when I was younger.

Other Word Forms

• monolingualism noun

Etymology

Origin of monolingual

First recorded in 1950–55; mono- + lingual