Australian
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to Australia, its inhabitants, or their languages.
-
Zoogeography. belonging to a geographical division comprising Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Sulawesi, the Moluccas, Papua New Guinea, and adjacent smaller islands.
-
Phytogeography. belonging or pertaining to a geographical division comprising Australia and Tasmania.
noun
-
a native or inhabitant of Australia.
-
an Aboriginal inhabitant of Australia.
-
Also called Australian Aboriginal languages. the group of languages of the Aborigines of Australia, consisting of about three hundred languages. Austral, Austral.
noun
-
a native or inhabitant of Australia
-
the form of English spoken in Australia
-
a linguistic phylum consisting of the languages spoken by the native Australians
adjective
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of Australia, the Australians, or their form of English
-
of, relating to, or belonging to the phylum of languages spoken by the native Australians
-
of or denoting a zoogeographical region consisting of Australia, New Zealand, Polynesia, New Guinea, and the Moluccas
Other Word Forms
- anti-Australian adjective
- pro-Australian adjective
- pseudo-Australian adjective
- trans-Australian adjective
- un-Australian adjective
Etymology
Origin of Australian
First recorded in 1690–70 Australian for def. 5; Australi(a) + -an
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.
The Australian will have three years of eligibility remaining and could be in the Bruins’ starting lineup next season.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
The Australian lender reported a quarterly cash profit of A$138 million.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
Meta Platforms-owned Facebook and Instagram as well as Snapchat, TikTok, X and YouTube were included in the Australian ban, which garnered mixed reactions from parents, teenagers and influencers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
One of the most significant moments in Australian military history unfolded without fanfare on a tarmac at Sydney airport, when Ben Roberts-Smith was calmly escorted off a plane and into a waiting police car.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
Some Australian women have to fall silent when they’re grieving— it’s required—and they speak for the rest of their lives only with their hands.
From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson
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.
