African

American  

[af-ri-kuhn] / ˈæf rɪ kən /

adjective

1. of or from Africa; belonging to the Black peoples of Africa.

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noun

Africans plural

1. a native or inhabitant of Africa.

2. (loosely) a Black person or other person of African ancestry.

African British  

/ ˈæfrɪkən /

adjective

1. denoting or relating to Africa or any of its peoples, languages, nations, etc

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noun

1. a native, inhabitant, or citizen of any of the countries of Africa

2. a member or descendant of any of the peoples of Africa, esp a Black person

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Africanness
  noun
• inter-African
  adjective
• non-African
  adjective
• proAfrican
  adjective
• pseudo-African
  adjective
• trans-African
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Africans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of African

First recorded before 1000 for noun, 1540–60 for adjective; Middle English noun Affrican, Aufrican “an inhabitant of North Africa or the Roman province of Africa (approximately modern Tunisia),” Old English noun Africanas “Africans” (accusative plural), from Late Latin Āfricānus “an inhabitant of Africa,” from Latin adjective Āfricānus “pertaining to Africa, African,” from Āfrica (short for terra Āfrica “African land”) “the continent of Africa, the Roman province of Africa,” a derivative of Āfrī, plural of adjective and noun Āfer ( Āfra, Āfrum ) “pertaining to Africa, African,” as a noun “an inhabitant of North Africa”; further etymology uncertain; possibly akin to Phoenician ʾafar “dust”; possibly the name of a local Libyan tribe ancestral to the Berbers

Compare meaning

How does african compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• African vs. Indian elephant

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

African Africans

The proposed award to fund the South African crime research was later widened to allow other invited groups to apply for a $1 million grant, according to people with knowledge of the process.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

Canada and Egypt both won World Cup games for the first time, advancing to the Round of 16, with Egypt becoming one of nine African teams to make it to the knockout rounds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

"The main obstacle is the different standards and regulations between African countries. With AfCFTA, we could have greater harmonisation," said Yattabare.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

He and his team are already preparing breeding programmes for the critically endangered African white-backed vultures and endangered African grey crowned cranes.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

New Hampshire was a largely white state, with some 360 free African Americans in Portsmouth.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

It marks the 110th anniversary of the Battle of Delville Wood in Longueval, northern France, where several hundred South Africans were killed.

From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026

But it was extremely hypocritical of the U.S. to condemn the Barbary states for enslaving a few hundred Americans given, you know, the extensive enslavement of hundreds of thousands of Africans on American soil.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

"I thought Crazy Rich Asians was something, but crazy rich Africans is a whole 'nother level," Emmy-award winning talk-show host and actress Sherri Shepherd said on Instagram, external.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

Meanwhile Qatar has brought players from 10 nationalities, from Africans to Europeans and a South American.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

It’s ridiculous that Africans don’t value our natural hair in Africa,” Yagazie said.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie