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Adrian

American  
[ey-dree-uhn] / ˈeɪ dri ən /

noun

  1. Edgar Douglas, 1889–1977, English physiologist: Nobel Prize in Medicine 1932.

  2. (Gilbert), 1903–59, U.S. fashion and costume designer.

  3. Hadrian.

  4. a city in southeastern Michigan.

  5. a first name: from a Latin word meaning “from Hadria,” an ancient city in northern Italy.


Adrian British  
/ ˈeɪdrɪən /

noun

  1. Edgar Douglas, Baron Adrian. 1889–1977, English physiologist, noted particularly for his research into the function of neurons: shared with Sherrington the Nobel prize for physiology and medicine 1932

"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

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.

And Bonilla evokes memories among Dodgers fans of the veteran third baseman’s failed 1998 stint with the team, which accelerated the promotion of future Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre at age 19.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026

“What worries me the most is there’s leverage by the borrowers and there’s leverage by the investors,” said Tobias Adrian, director of the monetary and capital markets department at the International Monetary Fund.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026

Deutsche Bank strategist Adrian Cox identifies a whole host of companies in the space are also awaiting their opportunity to go public, like Databricks, Glean and Vanta.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 1, 2026

And in Maryland, which also held primaries yesterday, a state delegate named Adrian Boafo who got support from pro-Israel and pro-cryptocurrency super PACs claimed the Democratic nomination for a safe blue congressional seat.

From Slate • Jun. 24, 2026

A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.

From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling

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