Standard Lemma guide

wireless

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

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, networking, physical-sciences, sciences

Examples

  • If your wireless stops working, try restarting the router.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A radio set.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, dated, uncountable, usually

Examples

  • Let's switch on the wireless and listen to the news.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To send (a message) by wireless or radio.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated, obsolete, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective

Meaning 7

having no wires

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a wireless security system

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: wired

8

noun

Meaning 8

a communication system based on broadcasting electromagnetic waves

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: radio

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: communication system

Narrower terms: radiotelegraph, radiotelegraphy, wireless telegraph, wireless telegraphy

9

noun

Meaning 9

an electronic receiver that detects and demodulates and amplifies transmitted signals

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: radio receiver, receiving set, radio set, radio, tuner

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: receiver, receiving system

Narrower terms: clock radio, crystal set, heterodyne receiver, superheterodyne receiver, superhet, push-button radio

10

noun

Meaning 10

transmission by radio waves

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: telecommunication, telecom

Narrower terms: radiotelegraph, radiotelegraphy, wireless telegraphy, radiotelephone, radiotelephony, wireless telephone

11

noun

Meaning 11

medium for communication

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

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
Real reading context

wireless in complete knowledge articles