orangutan
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of orangutan
First recorded in 1690–1700; from Dutch orang outang, apparently from Malay: literally, “forest man” ( Malay orang “man, person” + (h)utan “forest”
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How does orangutan compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Orangutans are primates with red fur, and they're also the largest animals that live mostly in trees. You may have seen orangutans at the zoo, swinging from branch to branch using their long arms. Orangutans are distinctive animals, with their shaggy hair, short legs, and long, agile arms. These intelligent primates are native to Indonesian and Malaysian rainforests, and just like those ecosystems, orangutans are endangered. Their name is derived from the Malay orang utan, "man of the forest," and it's especially fitting that we now know orangutans share more than 96 percent of their genes with humans.
Vocabulary lists containing orangutan
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.
An orangutan mom doesn’t have a partner to make dinner or put on a dress for—orangutans live mostly alone—but she does handle all the homemaking and childcare herself.
From Slate • May 10, 2026
Six-month-old Punch became an internet sensation after footage of him clinging forlornly to zookeepers and dragging around a stuffed orangutan toy were widely shared on X.
From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026
But the joy that little monkey feels for his orangutan, which he uses as shield, surrogate and playmate, is both heartbreaking and heartwarming.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026
After the vessel transporting his family from India to Canada sinks, Pi escapes to a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a tiger—and his situation gets more complicated with each passing day.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
A wily speaker will have the capacity to jump back and forth between the judicial and the deliberative branches like an oratorical orangutan.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
