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
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.
In December 2006, thousands of Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia under the cover of American drones with the aim of toppling the courts just six months after they had taken over.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
Several years ago, Aireon sent its data to air-safety authorities to help with the crash of Boeing’s 737 MAX jet during Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, which killed 157.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
In March, the Sudanese military alleged drone attacks were launched "from inside Ethiopian territory", the first public claim of Ethiopian involvement in the conflict.
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
The Ethiopian won the marathon with a new event record of 2:13:37.
From BBC • May 3, 2026
Many of the drivers outside the train station were Ethiopian or Punjabi.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
