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Glite Dictionary
🗣️ One language only 📖 A one-language dictionary 👤 A one-language person
unilingual

unilingual

7.0
A person who speaks only one language
  • noun
  • /ˌjunɪˈlɪŋɡwəl/
translation icon : unilingüe
  • Many unilinguals find it hard to learn new languages.

Examples

  • In some remote areas, most residents are unilingual and speak only their native language.

  • The school offers special programs for unilingual students to help them learn a second language.

  • Being unilingual can make it harder to travel or work in multilingual countries.

  • He is a unilingual speaker of English.

  • In some remote areas, most residents are unilingual and speak only their native language.

  • Being unilingual can make it harder to travel or work in multilingual countries.

  • Many unilingual individuals find it challenging to communicate when visiting foreign countries.

Synonyms

monoglot
vsunilingual
1 8.6

A person who speaks only one language

is the same meaning but is a different lexical form
monolingual
vsunilingual
5.1

A person who speaks only one language

is the same meaning but appears as an alternative term

Antonyms

multilingual
7 4.3

Able to speak or use more than one language

How Many Languages

polyglot
2 7.7
multilingual
7 4.3
trilingual
1 5.3
bilingual
33 4.0
unilingual
7.0

Surface Forms

unilingual singular
unilinguals plural

Morphology

unilingual = lingual (transparent) = uni + lingual

The structure uni- + lingual straightforwardly expresses the idea of using only one language, and the noun sense is a natural substantivized use.

Etymology

Unilingual for a person comes from uni- 'one' and lingual 'tongue' or 'language', so a unilingual person speaks only one language.