adjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of occidental
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin occidentālis western, equivalent to occident- Occident ( def. ) + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
You can use the adjective occidental to describe the Western part of the world, as opposed to Asia and the Middle East. The United States is an occidental country. The word occidental is uncommon these days, in part because it's historically been the opposite of oriental, a term for the Eastern countries of the world, mainly Asia — which has come to be considered offensive (or at least old-fashioned). You won't hurt anyone's feelings by describing Europe or Canada as occidental, though few people will know what you mean. The Latin root, occidentem , means "western sky" or "sunset."
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.
Berkshire Hathaway’s insurers hold the equity of many companies Berkshire owns or holds a large stake in, including Duracell, Occidental Petroleum and Sirius XM.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
Executives at Occidental Petroleum OXY -7.11%decrease; red down pointing triangle and Devon Energy DVN -8.61%decrease; red down pointing triangle , two of the largest U.S. oil producers, expressed caution this week about adding new rigs.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
EOG, Diamondback and Occidental collectively logged roughly $4.9 billion in free cash flow in the first quarter, up from $3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
Other oil stocks like APA and Occidental Petroleum also saw significant premarket declines, with Trump pausing Strait of Hormuz escorts.
From Barron's • May 6, 2026
Gradually, I read most of the old philosophers, Occidental and Oriental.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
