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

Two days before the first day of Diwali through the third day of Diwali each year. —Sam Kmack, The Arizona Republic, 26 Dec. 2024

Unlike Diwali, Tihar includes the worship of creatures, and Kukur Puja, on its second day, is dedicated to dogs. —Peter Guo, NBC News, 2 Nov. 2024

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

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