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trilingual

C2
Uncommon

Pronunciation

UK

  • /trˈaɪlɪŋɡwəl/

US

    Meanings

    Adjective

    1. able to use three languages

    2. using, written in, or provided in three languages

    Noun

    1. a person who uses three languages

    Beyond the definition

    Imagine a world traveler moving easily between English, Spanish, and Mandarin. That person is trilingual. It means being able to speak and understand three languages, not just knowing a few phrases in each one. While "bilingual" describes someone who uses two languages, "trilingual" describes someone who uses three. This can help in daily life, travel, school, and work. You might see trilingual people working as translators, teachers, diplomats, or in international business, where using more than one language is an important part of the job.

    Examples

    1. 1

      Hospitality job

      The hotel is looking for a trilingual receptionist for the summer tourist season.

    2. 2

      Border upbringing

      He grew up near the border and became trilingual without ever taking formal language classes.

    3. 3

      Community helpline

      The charity runs a trilingual helpline so new arrivals can ask for advice in the language they know best.

    4. 4

      Family language

      In their trilingual household, the children answer their mother in Spanish, their father in Arabic, and each other in English.

    See also

    Similar

    Shades of meaning

    • plurilingual
    • three-language

    Contrast

    Used with (collocations)

    • trilingual speaker
    • trilingual education
    • trilingual dictionary

    Word family

    • trilingualism

    Explore

    • language proficiency
    • code-switching

    Forms and spellings

    1 form open this card.

    Main spelling

    • trilingualadjective