Hispanic
Americanadjective
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of or relating to Spanish-speaking Latin America.
the United States and its Hispanic neighbors.
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Also Hispano of or relating to people of Spanish-speaking descent: the Hispanic vote;
Hispanic students;
the Hispanic vote;
Hispanic communities.
noun
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Also called Hispano-American. Also called Hispanic American. a citizen or resident of the United States who is of Spanish or Spanish-speaking Latin American descent.
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a person whose primary or native language is Spanish.
adjective
noun
Usage
Some words that describe national or ethnic identities are acceptable as plural nouns, but are more controversial as singular nouns. This is the case for Hispanic. It’s often acceptable as a plural noun (a candidate favored by Hispanics ). However, it may sometimes be less so as a singular noun (the candidate who is a Hispanic ). Such words are always perfectly appropriate as adjectives (strategies to get Hispanic voters to the polls).
his is the word most generally used in the US to refer to people of Latin American or Spanish ancestry
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of Hispanic
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin hispānicus, “Spanish”; see Hispania, -ic
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.
Has there been a rebound among Hispanic consumers, a key demographic for the company?
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
Black women were paid 68.3% and Hispanic women were paid 64.5% as much as white men, on average.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 26, 2026
And, in the closely watched 13th District, community organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier led Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the chair of the House Hispanic Caucus, by roughly 3.5 points.
From Salon • Jun. 24, 2026
They are also sharing the city with a sizeable Hispanic community, meaning there are lots of Brazil and Argentina fans in town.
From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026
But the Hispanic teachers had very little say in how things were run in that school.
From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez
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.
