What does "shalwar" mean?

Loose trousers worn in some South Asian or Islamic countries, especially by women but also by men, especially with a kamees.

What is a synonym for "shalwar"?

Common synonyms include: galligaskins, salwar, salwar, sherryvallies.

//ˈʃʌlwɑɹ// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
Loose trousers worn in some South Asian or Islamic countries, especially by women but also by men, especially with a kamees. plural, singular
"How I longed to have him (my gardener, not my landlord) wear a great big turban, and shalwars, and an ankle bracelet."
2
a pair of light loose trousers with a tight fit around the ankles; worn by women from the Indian subcontinent (usually with a kameez) wordnet

"How I longed to have him (my gardener, not my landlord) wear a great big turban, and shalwars, and an ankle bracelet."

Borrowed from Hindi शलवार (śalvār)/सलवार (salvār) or Urdu شَلْوار (śalvār)/سَلْوار (salvār), from Classical Persian شَلْوَار (šalwār).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.