Iranian

American  

[ih-rey-nee-uhn, ih-rah-, ahy-rey-] / ɪˈreɪ ni ən, ɪˈrɑ-, aɪˈreɪ- /

Also Irani

adjective

1. of or relating to Iran, its inhabitants, or their language.

2. of or relating to the Iranian languages.

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noun

1. a subbranch of the Indo-European family of languages, including especially Persian, Pashto, Avestan, and Kurdish.

2. an inhabitant of Iran; Persian.

Iranian British  

/ ɪˈreɪnɪən /

noun

1. a native, citizen, or inhabitant of Iran

2. a branch of the Indo-European family of languages, divided into West Iranian (including Old Persian, Pahlavi, modern Persian, Kurdish, Baluchi, and Tajik) and East Iranian (including Avestan, Sogdian, Pashto, and Ossetic)

3. Also: Persian.   Farsi.  the modern Persian language

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adjective

1. relating to, denoting, or characteristic of Iran, its inhabitants, or their language; Persian

2. belonging to or relating to the Iranian branch of Indo-European

Other Word Forms

• anti-Iranian adjective
• pro-Iranian adjective
• pseudo-Iranian adjective
• trans-Iranian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Iranian

First recorded in 1835–45; Iran + -ian

Example Sentences

The A-10 wasn’t brought down in Iranian territory, people familiar with the incident said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

And most ships carrying Iranian oil did not specify their destination on their transponder.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has maintained for weeks that the U.S. has “complete, uncontested control of Iranian airspace” after destroying the country’s air defenses.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Iranian intelligence has gotten into his Gmail—where he had forwarded emails from his Justice Department account.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026

After breakfast, Laleh and I settled in the living room—me to read The Lord of the Rings, and her to watch another Iranian soap opera.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram