adj · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/kəˈmjuː.nəl/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈkɒm.jə.nəl/
UK:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Canada, General-American:/kəˈmju.nəl/
Canada:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Australian:/kəˈmjʉː.nəl/
Australian, rare:/ˈkɔm.jə.nəl/
CMU ARPABET:K AH0 M Y UW1 N AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Pertaining to a community or a commune.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Shared by a community; public.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Defined by religious ideas; based on religion.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: India
Examples
communal violence
communal politics
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: secular
4
adjective
Meaning 4
relating to a small administrative district or community
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
communal elections in several European countries
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
adjective satellite
Meaning 5
for or by a group rather than individuals- Paul Roche
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
dipping each his bread into a communal dish of stew
a communal settlement in which all earnings and food were shared
a group effort
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mey- Proto-Indo-European *ḱom-moy-ni-s Proto-Italic *kommoinis Old Latin comoinis Latin commūnis Proto-Indo-European *h2el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Late Latin commūnālislbor. French communalbor. English communal Borrowed from French communal, from Late Latin commūnālis, from Latin commūnis. Doublet of cominal.
Across languages
Translations
50 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
комунален
(komunalen)
— pertaining to a community
Bulgarian:
колективен
(kolektiven)
— pertaining to a community
Chinese Mandarin:
社區的 /社区的
(shèqū de)
— pertaining to a community
Chinese Mandarin:
社群的
(shèqūn de)
— pertaining to a community
Chinese Mandarin:
群體的 /群体的
(qúntǐ de)
— pertaining to a community
Finnish:
yhteisöllinen
— pertaining to a community
French:
communautaire
— pertaining to a community
Galician:
comunitario
— pertaining to a community
German:
gemeinschaftlich
— pertaining to a community
German:
kommunal
— pertaining to a community
Hebrew:
קהילתי
(qehilaty)
— pertaining to a community
Hebrew:
קהילתית
(qehilatyt)
— pertaining to a community
Irish:
pobalda
— pertaining to a community
Irish:
pobail
— pertaining to a community
Italian:
comunitario
— pertaining to a community
Latin:
commūnālis
— pertaining to a community
Portuguese:
comunitário
— pertaining to a community
Romanian:
comunitar
— pertaining to a community
Russian:
общи́нный
(obščínnyj)
— pertaining to a community
Russian:
коммуна́льный
(kommunálʹnyj)
— pertaining to a community
Serbo-Croatian:
комунални
— pertaining to a community
Serbo-Croatian:
за̏једничкӣ
— pertaining to a community
Serbo-Croatian:
опћедруштвени
— pertaining to a community
Serbo-Croatian:
komunalni
— pertaining to a community
Serbo-Croatian:
zȁjedničkī
— pertaining to a community
Serbo-Croatian:
općedruštveni
— pertaining to a community
Slovak:
komunitný
— pertaining to a community
Spanish:
comunitario
— pertaining to a community
Swedish:
samhällelig
— pertaining to a community
Telugu:
సామాజిక
(sāmājika)
— pertaining to a community
Bulgarian:
обществен
(obštestven)
— shared by a community; public
Chinese Mandarin:
公共的
(gōnggòngde)
— shared by a community; public
Finnish:
yhteinen
— shared by a community; public
French:
commun
— shared by a community; public
Galician:
común
— shared by a community; public
Irish:
páirteach
— shared by a community; public
Irish:
pobail
— shared by a community; public
Irish:
comhchoiteann
— shared by a community; public
Manx:
co-chadjin
— shared by a community; public
Portuguese:
comum
— shared by a community; public
Portuguese:
público
— shared by a community; public
Romanian:
public
— shared by a community; public
Russian:
о́бщий
(óbščij)
— shared by a community; public
Russian:
обще́ственный
(obščéstvennyj)
— shared by a community; public
Russian:
коллекти́вный
(kollektívnyj)
— shared by a community; public
Russian:
коммуна́льный
(kommunálʹnyj)
— shared by a community; public