Vietnamese

American  

[vee-et-nah-meez, -mees, -nuh-, vyet-, vee-it-] / viˌɛt nɑˈmiz, -ˈmis, -nə-, ˌvyɛt-, ˌvi ɪt- /

adjective

1. of or relating to Vietnam or its inhabitants.

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noun

PLURAL

Vietnamese

1. Formerly Annamite.  Formerly Annamese.  the Austroasiatic language of Vietnam.

2. Sometimes Offensive.  a native or inhabitant of Vietnam.

Sensitive Note

Some words that describe national or ethnic identities are acceptable as plural nouns, but are either rare or offensive in the singular. This is the case for Vietnamese. It’s sometimes acceptable as a plural noun (a candidate favored by Vietnamese ). However, it's sometimes offensive as a singular noun (the candidate who is a Vietnamese ). Such words are always perfectly appropriate as adjectives (strategies to get Vietnamese voters to the polls).

Other Word Forms

• anti-Vietnamese adjectiveanti-Vietnamese
• pro-Vietnamese adjectivepro-Vietnamese

Etymology

Origin of Vietnamese

First recorded in 1945–50; Vietnam + -ese

Example Sentences

Ngựa, a Vietnamese man who asked to be identified by his family nickname, meaning horse, has been detained in California since he crossed the southern border illegally in March.

From Los Angeles Times

A Vietnamese activist who was granted refugee status by the UN has been extradited by Thailand to Vietnam where he faces a decade in prison, his lawyer said Monday.

From Barron's

I order French-style beef cubes, which are chunks of meat seasoned with spices like allspice and other ingredients you would find in French food with a Vietnamese influence.

From Los Angeles Times

The Vietnamese government says 186,000 homes have been damaged across the country, with more than three million livestock swept away.

From BBC

In the ‘80s and ‘90s, the federal government resettled tens of thousands of Hmong, Lao, Cambodian and Vietnamese refugees in California after the Vietnam War, the Cambodian genocide and the Laotian civil war .

From Los Angeles Times