Adlai may refer to:
- A character in the Bible, the father of Shaphat, and the grandfather of the prophet Elisha.
- The first name of Adlai E. Stevenson I, Grover Cleveland's Vice President.
- The first name of Adlai E. Stevenson II, grandson of the above entry, former Governor of Illinois, and unsuccessful Presidential candidate.
- The first name of Adlai E. Stevenson III, son of the above entry, and former Senator from Illinois.
- The first name of Adlai E. Stevenson IV, son of the above entry, business executive and former journalist.
- The colloquial name of an annual collegiate debating competition held by Princeton University's American Whig-Cliosophic Society as part of the American Parliamentary Debate Association.
- A term for the grain Job's Tears.
Famous quotes containing the word adlai:
“Though Americans talk a good deal about the virtue of being serious, they generally prefer people who are solemn over people who are serious. In politics, the rare candidate who is serious, like Adlai Stevenson, is easily overwhelmed by one who is solemn, like General Eisenhower. This is probably because it is hard for most people to recognize seriousness, which is rare, especially in politics, but comfortable to endorse solemnity, which is as commonplace as jogging.”
—Russell Baker (b. 1925)