Phrase guide

shalwar kameez

noun · 1 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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  • /ˈsʌlvɒː kəˈmiːs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

an outfit worn by men and women in South Asian countries comprising loose trousers and a long shirt

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • 2002: Basir tended to wear a beige suede parka over his shalwar kameez. — James Meek, in London Review of Books, 3 January 2002
  • 2004: But the clientele that morning was mainly veiled wives in black burkas and bearded men wearing shalwar kameez — The New Yorker, 13 December 2004, p.52

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Hindustani शलवार क़मीज़ (śalvār qamīz) / شلوار قمیص (śalvār qamīs), from Persian, from Arabic.