Ethiopian
Americanadjective
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of or relating to Ethiopia or to its inhabitants.
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belonging to the part of Africa south of the equator.
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Zoogeography. belonging to a geographical division comprising Africa south of the tropic of Cancer, the southern part of Arabia, and Madagascar.
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Archaic. Black African.
noun
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a native of Ethiopia.
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a member of any of various supposedly dark-skinned peoples regarded by the ancients as coming from a country lying south of Egypt.
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Archaic. a Black African.
adjective
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of, relating to, or characteristic of Ethiopia, its people, or any of their languages
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of or denoting a zoogeographical region consisting of Africa south of the Sahara
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obsolete anthropol of or belonging to a postulated racial group characterized by dark skin, an oval elongated face, and thin lips, living chiefly in Africa south of the Sahara
noun
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a native or inhabitant of Ethiopia
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any of the languages of Ethiopia, esp Amharic
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of Ethiopian
First recorded in 1545–55; Ethiopi(a) + -an
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.
See Examples For:
Tigray borders Eritrea and during the war, its troops were allied with Ethiopian government forces.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
An unnamed Ethiopian assistant professor was selected by ICM for its Midwife Leaders Executive Sponsorship Programme, but was rejected for having an "inadequate financial bank statement and an unreliable purpose of travel", the organisers said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Walking distance from Como Park is one of three locations of Bolé Ethiopian Cuisine, named after the neighborhood where its owners were born and raised.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
Get to know the Inglewood food scene before or after World Cup games at SoFi Stadium, including outposts for Somali, Ethiopian and Jamaican cuisine, soul food, casual cafes and Sonora-style tacos.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
Many of the drivers outside the train station were Ethiopian or Punjabi.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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Ahmed, though, is facing growing domestic pressure to reduce the steep prices Ethiopians pay for imports, from food to fuel, which principally come via ports in Djibouti, Somalia, and Kenya.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026
The GERD, whose construction began in 2011, was financed through taxes and loans from Ethiopians.
From Barron's ● Feb. 3, 2026
It cautioned Ethiopians, particularly the youth, against the dangers of human trafficking driven by false promises.
From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2026
Tens of thousands of vibrantly dressed Ethiopians descended on downtown Addis Ababa for an annual thanksgiving festival this weekend.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2025
North American Plains Indians, South American Araucanian Indians, New Zealand’s Maoris, and Ethiopians acquired guns and used them to hold off European conquest for a long time, though they were ultimately defeated.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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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.