Mongolian

American  

[mong-goh-lee-uhn, mon-] / mɒŋˈgoʊ li ən, mɒn- /

adjective

1. pertaining to Mongolia.

2. of or relating to the Mongol people of inner Asia.

3. Anthropology. (no longer in technical use) Mongoloid.

4. of or relating to Mongolian, a branch of the Altaic languages.

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of the Mongolian People's Republic.

2. a native or inhabitant of Inner Mongolia.

3. Also a group of languages including Buriat and Khalkha and constituting a branch of Altaic.

4. any of the languages of this branch, especially Khalkha.

5. Anthropology. (no longer in technical use) a member of the peoples of Asia formerly referred to as Mongoloid.

Mongolian ¹ British  

/ mɒŋˈɡəʊlɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Mongolia, its people, or their language

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noun

1. a native of Mongolia

2. the language of Mongolia See Khalkha

mongolian ² British  

/ mɒŋˈɡəʊlɪən /

adjective

1. offensive (not in technical use) of, relating to, or affected by Down's syndrome

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Other Word Forms

• non-Mongolian adjective
• pre-Mongolian adjective
• pseudo-Mongolian adjective
• trans-Mongolian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Mongolian

First recorded in 1730–40; Mongoli(a) + -an

Example Sentences

In 2020, ethnic Mongolians in northern China staged rare rallies against measures to reduce teaching in the Mongolian language in favour of Mandarin.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

They paired them with horn-shaped hats designed to protect against enemy arrows and survive the biting cold of the Mongolian steppes—and a trip to Northern Italy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

He did it by beating Mongolian grand champion Hoshoryu on Sunday.

From Barron's • Nov. 24, 2025

The name Khankhuuluu comes from Mongolian and translates to "prince of dragons" or "the dragon prince."

From Science Daily • Oct. 24, 2025

Then another typhoon struck, again destroying most of the Mongolian fleet.

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata