Asian
of, belonging to, or characteristic of Asia or its inhabitants.
a native or inhabitant of Asia or a person of Asian descent.
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Origin of Asian
1usage note For Asian
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
Today, the city is an Asian hipster outpost, with shopping malls, clothing boutiques, and mixologist-prepared cocktails.
Just 47 percent of Asian-Americans voted in the 2012 presidential election.
Asian-Americans may vote for Democrats now, but they are a highly persuadable—and growing—part of the electorate.
Asian-Americans are a group of persuadable swing voters, growing faster than any other group in America today.
In 1992, Republican George H.W. Bush won the Asian-American vote by 24 points.
We were close upon the Asian shore, and I put the helm down to go about.
Paul Patoff | F. Marion CrawfordMalagigi sat repenting in his Asian grotto, like S. Gerolamo in the pictures.
Castellinaria | Henry Festing JonesIn remoter days Huns had swept through these passes, coming from Asian deserts to the pillage of Europe.
The Hosts of the Air | Joseph A. AltshelerIn 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 HoldichTaking it as it is, with the test of language added, nothing short of an Asian origin will account for it.
More Celtic Fairy Tales | Various
British Dictionary definitions for Asian
/ (ˈeɪʃən, ˈeɪʒən) /
of or relating to Asia or to any of its peoples or languages
British of or relating to natives of the Indian subcontinent or any of their descendants, esp when living in Britain
a native or inhabitant of Asia or a descendant of one
British a native of the Indian subcontinent or a descendant of one
usage For Asian
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
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