African
Americanadjective
noun
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a native or inhabitant of Africa.
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(loosely) a Black person or other person of African ancestry.
adjective
noun
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a native, inhabitant, or citizen of any of the countries of Africa
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a member or descendant of any of the peoples of Africa, esp a Black person
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of African
First recorded before 1000 for noun, 1540–60 for adjective; Middle English noun Affrican, Aufrican “an inhabitant of North Africa or the Roman province of Africa (approximately modern Tunisia),” Old English noun Africanas “Africans” (accusative plural), from Late Latin Āfricānus “an inhabitant of Africa,” from Latin adjective Āfricānus “pertaining to Africa, African,” from Āfrica (short for terra Āfrica “African land”) “the continent of Africa, the Roman province of Africa,” a derivative of Āfrī, plural of adjective and noun Āfer ( Āfra, Āfrum ) “pertaining to Africa, African,” as a noun “an inhabitant of North Africa”; further etymology uncertain; possibly akin to Phoenician ʾafar “dust”; possibly the name of a local Libyan tribe ancestral to the Berbers
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“We had a really good presentation with all the federations down there and we ended up getting almost all of the African vote,” Reed remembered triumphantly.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
There are no African countries on this list.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
Nineteen unanswered points suddenly had the South African side in the lead.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
AFP has interviewed deportees sent to Equatorial Guinea, including an East African man who crossed the US-Mexico border to seek asylum in 2024.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
They again called for African Americans to join their ranks during the War of 1812.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
