monolingual

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparable

   Speaking or using only one language.

   Grammar: Used before a noun (e.g., 'a monolingual person') or after a linking verb (e.g., 'She is monolingual'). It is not usually used in comparative forms like 'more monolingual'.

   Patterns

   • monolingual person
   • monolingual society
   • be monolingual

   Many people in the United States are monolingual and speak only English.

   Growing up in a monolingual household, she didn't learn a second language until high school.

   The survey found that monolingual adults often struggle to learn a new language later in life.

2. 2adjectivenot comparable

   Written or conducted in only one language.

   Grammar: Used before a noun to describe things like dictionaries, classrooms, or signs that use only one language.

   Patterns

   • monolingual dictionary
   • monolingual education
   • monolingual environment

   A monolingual dictionary explains words in the same language as the word.

   The school offers a monolingual program for students who are already fluent in English.

   The signs in the airport are monolingual, which can be confusing for international travelers.

Common combinations

monolingual dictionary

For advanced learners, a monolingual dictionary can be more helpful than a bilingual one.

monolingual speaker

As a monolingual speaker, he found it hard to communicate abroad.

monolingual education

Monolingual education may not prepare students for a globalized world.

predominantly monolingual

The region is predominantly monolingual, with English as the only official language.

Synonyms and how they differ

unilingual

Unilingual means the same but is much rarer and more formal; monolingual is the common term.

Opposites

Word family

monolingualism noun

The state or condition of speaking only one language.

bilingual adjective

Speaking two languages.

multilingual adjective

Speaking several languages.

Commonly confused: monolingual or monologue? monolingual or monotonous?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “monolingual”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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