BilingualAble to speak or use two languages can describe a person who speaks two languages, or something that uses two languages. The noun and adjectiveA word that describes a noun or pronoun are related, but they are used in different ways, so it helps to keep the meanings separateNot combined; kept apart from other things.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /baɪˈlɪŋɡwəl/
Easy pronunciation: bye-LING-gwuhl (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress is on the second syllable: LING.
Noun sense: a person who speaks two languages fluently.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Bilingual Meaning
Someone who can speak two languages well.
Part of speech: noun
Definition: A person who speaks two languages fluently.
Example: She’s a bilingual who grew up speaking Spanish and English.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- bilingualist — A direct noun synonym for a person who speaks two languages.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Bilingual
Meaning 2
Written, spoken, or taught in two languages.
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Using or knowing two languages.
Example: The school offers bilingual education.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Bilingual Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- bilingualist
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Using bilingual as if it always means a person. It can also describe language use, such as bilingual signs or bilingual education.
- Confusing bilingual with multilingual, which means knowing or using more than two languages.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does bilingual mean?
Bilingual usually means a person who speaks two languages, or something that uses or involves two languages.
What is a synonym for bilingual?
For the noun sense, bilingualist is a close synonym. For the adjective sense, there is no strong direct synonym in the supplied data.
Is bilingual an adjective or a noun?
It can be both. As a noun, it means a person who speaks two languages. As an adjective, it means using or knowing two languages.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-17. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
