Slavic

American  

[slah-vik, slav-ik] / ˈslɑ vɪk, ˈslæv ɪk /

noun

1. a branch of the Indo-European family of languages, usually divided into East Slavic (Russian, Ukrainian, Byelorussian), West Slavic (Polish, Czech, Slovak, Sorbian), and South Slavic (Old Church Slavonic, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian). Slav, Slav.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Slavs or their languages.

Slavic British  

/ ˈslɑːvɪk /

noun

1. another word (esp US) for Slavonic

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Other Word Forms

• anti-Slavic
  adjective
• non-Slavic
  adjective
• pro-Slavic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Slavic

First recorded in 1805–15; Slav + -ic

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Slavic

The exodus and the ageing of the ethnic Slavic population -- many descendants of people forcibly resettled there in the Soviet era -- and the lack of economic prospects are all driving the internal migration.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

In Friuli-Venezia Giulia, for example, Slavic and Austro-Hungarian influences show up in smoked meats, dumplings, and fermented flavors.

From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2026

Mr. Morson, a professor of Slavic languages and literatures at Northwestern University, is the author of “Wonder Confronts Certainty: Russian Writers on the Timeless Questions and Why Their Answers Matter.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025

Around 65,000 Austrian Jews were killed in the Holocaust during World War Two, when the Nazi party, led by Adolf Hitler, worked to eradicate Europe's Jewish population, as well as the Slavic and Roma population.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2025

“Mr. Deckard?” the man asked with a Slavic accent.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick