Diwali

noun

Di·​wa·​li də-ˈwä-lē 

-ˈvä-

variants or less commonly Divali or Dewali

plural Diwalis also Divalis or Dewalis

: a Hindu festival of lights held in late October or early November

Candlelight and lanterns are traditional beacons of autumn and winter for many cultures—from Diwali to Christmas to Hanukkah—as communities usher in longer nights.

—Leeta-Rose Ballester

Examples of Diwali in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One person shared their family's Diwali celebrations from earlier in the year, another talked about their favorite winter skiing spots, and some chose not to present at all. —Teresa Hopke, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024

The large Indian-American community in Edison was banned from using fireworks to celebrate Diwali in late October because of the drought warning in the state. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 5 Dec. 2024

Additionally, this is the time for many Indians abroad coming home to celebrate Diwali or attend the peak-wedding seasons, which hits around late October to December and in late January to March, Saxena says. —Matt Ortile, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Dec. 2024

Box office competition Big Bollywood clash Bollywood witnessed one of the biggest box office clashes of the year when Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 and Singham Again decided a Diwali release. —Sweta Kaushal, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Hindi dīvālī, divālī, going back to Middle Indo-Aryan dīvālī-, dīvāvalī-, going back to Sanskrit dīpāvaliḥ "row of lights, the Diwali festival," from dīpaḥ "lamp, light" (noun extracted from dīpayati "[s/he] sets alight, lights, illuminates," causative derivative from the base of dī́deti "[it] shines, is bright") + āvaliḥ "row, line" (of uncertain origin) — more at psychedelic entry 1

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined above