Sulawesi

American

[soo-lah-wey-see] / ˌsu lɑˈweɪ si /

noun

an island in central Indonesia. 72,986 sq. mi. (189,034 sq. km).

Sulawesi British

/ ˌsuːləˈweɪsɪ /

noun

Also called: Celebes. an island in E Indonesia: mountainous and forested, with volcanoes and hot springs. Pop: 14 946 488 (2000). Area (including adjacent islands): 229 108 sq km (88 440 sq miles)

"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

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.

The 54-year-old fisherman from a small village in Polewali Mandar, West Sulawesi, has been a superfan of the Argentine football team since the 1980s and adores superstar Lionel Messi.

From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026

The people who made the Sulawesi art were likely closely related to the ancestors of Indigenous Australians.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2026

It is significantly older than another Sulawesi painting identified by the same team in 2024.

From Science Daily • Mar. 22, 2026

AFP joined as it surveyed biodiversity on a deep-sea mountain chain off Sulawesi island.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

"It is very likely that the people who made these paintings in Sulawesi were part of the broader population that would later spread through the region and ultimately reach Australia."

From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023