Mediterranean
Americannoun
-
a person whose physical characteristics are considered typical of the peoples native to or inhabiting the Mediterranean area.
-
Informal. the, the islands and countries of the Mediterranean Sea collectively.
adjective
-
pertaining to, situated on or near, or dwelling about the Mediterranean Sea.
-
pertaining to or characteristic of the peoples native to the lands along or near the Mediterranean Sea.
-
surrounded or nearly surrounded by land.
noun
-
short for the Mediterranean Sea
-
a native or inhabitant of a Mediterranean country
adjective
-
of, relating to, situated or dwelling on or near the Mediterranean Sea
-
denoting a postulated subdivision of the Caucasoid race, characterized by slender build and dark complexion
-
meteorol (of a climate) characterized by hot summers and relatively warm winters when most of the annual rainfall occurs
-
obsolete (often not capital) situated in the middle of a landmass; inland
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Mediterranean
1585–95; < Latin mediterrāne ( us ) midland, inland ( see medium, terra, -an, -eous) + -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.
When the Trump administration invited the native-born Chicagoan to visit the U.S. for America’s 250th anniversary, Leo instead decided to spend his Fourth of July on Lampedusa, the Ellis Island of the Mediterranean.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
The science behind the Mediterranean diet is clear, yet it’s hard for many Americans to engage with the Mediterranean diet the way they should.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026
Moller-Maersk and Switzerland’s Mediterranean Shipping Co. have started selling their services directly to automakers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Most recently, the Italian navy, in conjunction with other EU countries, boarded a tanker in the central Mediterranean suspected of not being entitled to fly the flag it claimed.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
We drove east, we drove west, amidst the myriad villages that cling like limpets to the Mediterranean shore, and to-day I remember none of them.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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.
