unilingual
unilingual Lexical Profile
unilingual Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Speaking, understanding, or using only one language.
"Many unilingual travelers rely on translation apps when visiting foreign countries."
Canadian Written, conducted, or operating in only one official language (especially of a region, institution, or document).
"The province enacted legislation requiring commercial signage to be predominantly unilingual."
• noun
A person who speaks or understands only one language.
"The study compared cognitive flexibility between bilinguals and unilinguals across several age groups."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'monolingual' is the preferred standard in international linguistics, 'unilingual' is widely used in Canadian English, especially in legal, political, and administrative contexts contrasting single-language regions or services with bilingual ones.
• Rhymes for unilingual
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the late 19th century by combining the Latin prefix uni- ('one') with lingual (from Latin lingua, meaning 'tongue' or 'language'), modeled after 'bilingual'.