Asian

[ ey-zhuhn, ey-shuhn ]

adjective
  1. of, belonging to, or characteristic of Asia or its inhabitants.

noun
  1. a native or inhabitant of Asia or a person of Asian descent.

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Origin of Asian

1
First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin Asiānus, from Greek Asiānós; see Asia, -an

usage note For Asian

Asian is the most commonly used term referring to people in or from Asia, especially East Asia. In American English, Oriental as a noun or adjective applied to people is outdated and has become a sensitive term to be avoided. It is associated with a bygone era in which Asians had subordinate status and their culture was perceived as strange and exotic. Also, the origin of the term Oriental represents a Eurocentric view of geography, since the Orient, or East, is east of Europe.
However, Oriental is a neutral, inoffensive term when used as an adjective describing Asian culture or things from Asia. Similarly, the term Asiatic is usually offensive when referring to people, but neutral when referring to Asian culture, animals, etc. Though Asian is an acceptable ethnic designation in most contexts, it is best to be as specific as possible, rather than to group all Asians into a single cultural identity. In general, people of South, Southeast, and East Asian origin prefer to be identified by their country of origin: for example, Indian, Pakistani, Indonesian, Korean, Japanese, or Chinese. The people of the Middle East and Polynesia are not usually referred to as Asian.

Other words from Asian

  • an·ti-A·sian, adjective, noun
  • half-A·sian, adjective, noun
  • non-A·sian, adjective, noun
  • pro-A·sian, adjective, noun

Words that may be confused with Asian

Words Nearby Asian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Asian in a sentence

  • We were close upon the Asian shore, and I put the helm down to go about.

    Paul Patoff | F. Marion Crawford
  • Malagigi sat repenting in his Asian grotto, like S. Gerolamo in the pictures.

    Castellinaria | Henry Festing Jones
  • In remoter days Huns had swept through these passes, coming from Asian deserts to the pillage of Europe.

    The Hosts of the Air | Joseph A. Altsheler
  • In Central Asian rugs we find the cone replaced by the pomegranate, and the tree of life becomes a pomegranate tree.

    The Gates of India | Thomas Holdich
  • Taking it as it is, with the test of language added, nothing short of an Asian origin will account for it.

British Dictionary definitions for Asian

Asian

/ (ˈeɪʃən, ˈeɪʒən) /


adjective
  1. of or relating to Asia or to any of its peoples or languages

  2. British of or relating to natives of the Indian subcontinent or any of their descendants, esp when living in Britain

noun
  1. a native or inhabitant of Asia or a descendant of one

  2. British a native of the Indian subcontinent or a descendant of one

usage For Asian

To refer to someone from the Indian subcontinent as an Asian is potentially offensive and should be avoided. If you are talking about one specific group, it is better to say so, for instance people of Indian descent

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012