unilingual

IPA/ˌʌnˈlɪŋɡwəl/
IPA/ˌʌnˈlɪŋɡwəl/

unilingual — adjective

  • unilingualpositive
  • more unilingualcomparative
  • most unilingualsuperlative

1. able to speak, write, or be expressed in only a single language; not able to use

1.adjectiveC2
Definition

able to speak, write, or be expressed in only a single language; not able to use or containing more than one language.

Example

Yuki's grandmother was unilingual and spoke only Japanese at home.

predicative use: be unilingual

The museum's exhibit was a unilingual French display, so Beatriz asked a friend to translate it.

attributive use: unilingual + noun

Common collocations
  • unilingual speaker
  • unilingual dictionary
  • unilingual country
  • unilingual environment
  • unilingual document
  • unilingual household
  • unilingual population
Synonyms
  • monolingual

    more common in everyday English; identical in meaning but unilingual has a slightly more technical or formal tone

  • monoglot

    very rare; mostly used in linguistic typology or historical writing

Antonyms
  • bilingual

    using or able to use two languages

  • multilingual

    using or able to use three or more languages

  • polyglot

    formal term for a person who knows many languages

Grammar Patterns

be unilingual

unilingual + noun

Usage Note

Frequently used in academic or formal contexts to describe language policy, education systems, or personal ability. Less common than 'monolingual' in everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

She is a unilingual speaker of Spanish and English.
She is a unilingual speaker of Spanish.
'unilingual' means only one language; if someone speaks two, use 'bilingual.'
This dictionary is unilingual in both French and German.
This is a bilingual French-German dictionary.
'unilingual' cannot describe a work containing two languages.

Word family

  • unilingualism
    nounC2
  • unilingually
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe language ability or composition, but they differ in scope. 'Unilingual' and 'monolingual' are synonyms — both mean 'using only one language' — though 'monolingual' is far more common in everyday conversation and appears in learner-level materials (CEFR B2), while 'unilingual' (CEFR C2) is mostly found in formal writing, linguistics, and government language policy documents. 'Bilingual' covers exactly two languages, and 'multilingual' covers three or more. A useful distinction: a country can be described as 'unilingual' if it has a single official language (e.g., Japan is largely unilingual in practice), whereas the people themselves are more often called 'monolingual' in casual contexts. 'Bilingual' and 'multilingual' speakers are the opposite end of the spectrum and often receive praise in globalized societies.

unilingual ↗monolingual ↗bilingual ↗multilingual ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • unilingual document
  • unilingual community
  • unilingual education system

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Formed from the prefix 'uni-' (meaning 'one', from Latin 'unus') and 'lingual' (meaning 'relating to language', from Latin 'lingua' — tongue or language). The word was coined in the 19th century alongside related terms like 'bilingual' and 'multilingual', and was used primarily in academic writing about language communities and education.

First known use

1866

1866, in the meaning defined above