Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

monolingualism

American  
[mahn-uh-ling-gwuhl-iz-uhm] / ˌmɑn əˈlɪŋ gwəlˌɪz əm /

noun

  1. the state or condition of being monolingual.

  2. a policy or approach that promotes the use of only one 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.

See Examples For:

Dear Miss Manners: I live in a city in which a wide variety of languages are spoken, though I, to my shame and regret, seem genetically predisposed to monolingualism.

From Washington Post Feb. 18, 2023

I mean, the famous linguistic research by Joshua Fishman showed a three-generation conversion to English monolingualism.

From Slate Jul. 25, 2019

This is something that’s often assumed reflexively by those of us who live most of our lives in English, but historically speaking, monolingualism is something of an aberration.

From The Guardian Jul. 27, 2018

It was one of those American innovations, like Nascar or monolingualism, that failed to sweep the globe.

From The New Yorker Jan. 18, 2016

The French proprietress takes an immediate dislike to Margaret, scoffing at her monolingualism and sternly instructing her to bathe at least once a week.

From Salon Oct. 4, 2010

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training