Ndebele

N1D2E1B3E1L1E1
UK, US/(ə)ndəˈbeɪleɪ/UK, US/(ə)ndəˈbɛleɪ/

noun

A person from South Africa.

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UncommonScrabble 10

Meanings

nounNdebele (plural Ndebeles or Ndebele)

plural Ndebeles

  1. A person from South Africa.
  2. A person from Zimbabwe.

    It's not relevant for the purpose of my discussion who got to Zimbabwe first between the Shonas and the Ndebeles.

    2015, Khoza Mduduzi, The West Stole Africa's Wealth
    1 more example

    Furthermore, Britain's show of disapproval for Mugabe's Zanu-PF government during the land seizures was in conflict with its largely silent approach on the 1980s Gukurahundi conflict, in which Mugabe ordered the massacre of up to 20,000 Ndebele civilians.

    2009 June 17, Blessing-Miles Tendi, “Tsvangirai's dicey strategy”, in The Guardian
proper noun
  1. Any of the languages spoken by these two peoples: Northern Ndebele and the not closely related Southern Ndebele.

    And look, that’s you a few years later, holding up a package at a prize-giving ceremony — throughout primary you always came first in English and Ndebele class.

    2022, NoViolet Bulawayo, Glory, Chatto & Windus, page 191

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna Bantu language sometimes considered a dialect of Zulu

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Broader
Also see

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 恩德贝莱语
  • 恩德贝莱语Translations
Japanese ンデベレ語
  • ンデベレ語Translations

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

Ndebele. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ndebele

MLA

“Ndebele.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ndebele. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Ndebele,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ndebele.

Source: Ndebele on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.