adj · noun · verb · 11 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
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈwaɪə.ləs/
General-American:/ˈwaɪ(jə)ɹ.ləs/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:W AY1 R L IH0 S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Not having any wires.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Functioning without an external wired connection.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Examples
wireless headphones
wireless charging
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The medium of radio communication.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Examples
Only about a hundred years ago, wireless was a new technology.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A wireless connectivity to a computer network.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: radio, radiocommunication
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: broadcasting
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English wire Proto-Indo-European *lewh1- Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der. Proto-Germanic *leusaną Proto-Germanic *lausaz Proto-Germanic *-lausaz Proto-West Germanic *-laus Old English -lēas Middle English -les English -less English wireless From wire + -less.
Across languages
Translations
100 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
draadloos
— not having any wires
Arabic:
لَاسِلْكِيّ
(lāsilkiyy)
— not having any wires
Bulgarian:
безжичен
(bezžičen)
— not having any wires
Catalan:
sense fil
— not having any wires
Chinese Mandarin:
無線 /无线
(wǔxiàn)
— not having any wires
Czech:
bezdrátový
— not having any wires
Danish:
trådløs
— not having any wires
Dutch:
draadloos
— not having any wires
Elfdalian:
tråðlos
— not having any wires
Esperanto:
sendrata
— not having any wires
Finnish:
langaton
— not having any wires
French:
sans fil
— not having any wires
Georgian:
უსადენო
(usadeno)
— not having any wires
Georgian:
უკაბელო
(uḳabelo)
— not having any wires
German:
drahtlos
— not having any wires
Greek:
ασύρματος
(asýrmatos)
— not having any wires
Hebrew:
אַלְחוּטִי
(alẖutí)
— not having any wires
Hindi:
बेतार
(betār)
— not having any wires
Indonesian:
nirkabel
— not having any wires
Japanese:
無線
(musen)
— not having any wires
Japanese:
ワイヤレス
(waiyaresu)
— not having any wires
Latin:
sine filo
— not having any wires
Macedonian:
безжичен
(bezžičen)
— not having any wires
Malay:
wayarles
— not having any wires
Malay:
nirwayar
— not having any wires
Māori:
waeakore
— not having any wires
Norwegian Bokmål:
trådlaus
— not having any wires
Norwegian Bokmål:
trådløs
— not having any wires
Norwegian Nynorsk:
trådlaus
— not having any wires
Polish:
bezprzewodowy
— not having any wires
Polish:
bezsznurowy
— not having any wires
Portuguese:
sem fio
— not having any wires
Romanian:
fără fir
— not having any wires
Russian:
беспро́водный
(bespróvodnyj)
— not having any wires
Russian:
беспроводно́й
(besprovodnój)
— not having any wires
Russian:
беспро́волочный
(bespróvoločnyj)
— not having any wires
Serbo-Croatian:
бежично
— not having any wires
Serbo-Croatian:
bežično
— not having any wires
Spanish:
inalámbrico
— not having any wires
Swedish:
trådlös
— not having any wires
Tagalog:
awangkawad
— not having any wires
Tagalog:
walang-kawad
— not having any wires
Telugu:
తీగెలేని
(tīgelēni)
— not having any wires
Thai:
ไร้สาย
(rái-sǎai)
— not having any wires
Turkish:
kablosuz
— not having any wires
Ukrainian:
бездрото́вий
(bezdrotóvyj)
— not having any wires
Urdu:
بے تار
(betār)
— not having any wires
Urdu:
لا سلکی
(lā silkī)
— not having any wires
Uzbek:
simsiz
— not having any wires
Vietnamese:
không dây
— not having any wires
Welsh:
diwifr
— not having any wires
Arabic:
لَاسِلْكِيّ
(lāsilkiyy)
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
Finnish:
langaton
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
German:
drahtlos
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
German:
Funk-
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
German:
Radio-
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
Greek:
ασύρματος
(asýrmatos)
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
Hebrew:
אַלְחוּטִי
(alẖutí)
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
Hindi:
बेतार
(betār)
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
Japanese:
ワイヤレス
(waiyaresu)
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
Japanese:
無線
(musen)
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
Polish:
radiowy
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
Portuguese:
sem fio
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
Romanian:
radio-
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
Russian:
ра́дио-
(rádio-)
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
Russian:
беспроводно́й
(besprovodnój)
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
Tagalog:
awangkawad
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
Tagalog:
walang-kawad
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
Vietnamese:
không dây
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
Vietnamese:
vô tuyến
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
Welsh:
diwifr
— of or relating to wireless telegraphy
Bulgarian:
радио
— radio
Catalan:
ràdio
— radio
Chinese Mandarin:
無線電 /无线电
(wúxiàndiàn)
— radio
Finnish:
radio
— radio
Finnish:
radioviestintä
— radio
French:
radio
— radio
French:
TSF
— radio
German:
Funk
— radio
German:
Rundfunk
— radio
German:
Radio
— radio
Greek:
ασύρματος
(asýrmatos)
— radio
Hebrew:
אַלְחוּט
(alẖút)
— radio
Hindi:
रेडियो
(reḍiyo)
— radio
Japanese:
無線機
(musenki)
— radio
Japanese:
ワイヤレス
(waiyaresu)
— radio
Malay:
radio
— radio
Malay:
wayarles
— radio
Polish:
radio
— radio
Portuguese:
tecnologia sem fio
— radio
Portuguese:
tecnologia wireless
— radio
Russian:
ра́дио
(rádio)
— radio
Sindhi:
ريتار
(retār)
— radio
Turkish:
telsiz
— radio
Welsh:
radio
— radio
Welsh:
weiarles
— radio
Bulgarian:
безжично свързване
(bezžično svǎrzvane)
— wireless connectivity to a computer network
Finnish:
langaton
— wireless connectivity to a computer network
German:
WLAN
— wireless connectivity to a computer network
Portuguese:
wireless
— wireless connectivity to a computer network