African

American  

[af-ri-kuhn] / ˈæf rɪ kən /

adjective

1. of or from Africa; belonging to the Black peoples of Africa.

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noun

Africans plural

1. a native or inhabitant of Africa.

2. (loosely) a Black person or other person of African ancestry.

African British  

/ ˈæfrɪkən /

adjective

1. denoting or relating to Africa or any of its peoples, languages, nations, etc

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noun

1. a native, inhabitant, or citizen of any of the countries of Africa

2. a member or descendant of any of the peoples of Africa, esp a Black person

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Africanness
  noun
• inter-African
  adjective
• non-African
  adjective
• proAfrican
  adjective
• pseudo-African
  adjective
• trans-African
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Africans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of African

First recorded before 1000 for noun, 1540–60 for adjective; Middle English noun Affrican, Aufrican “an inhabitant of North Africa or the Roman province of Africa (approximately modern Tunisia),” Old English noun Africanas “Africans” (accusative plural), from Late Latin Āfricānus “an inhabitant of Africa,” from Latin adjective Āfricānus “pertaining to Africa, African,” from Āfrica (short for terra Āfrica “African land”) “the continent of Africa, the Roman province of Africa,” a derivative of Āfrī, plural of adjective and noun Āfer ( Āfra, Āfrum ) “pertaining to Africa, African,” as a noun “an inhabitant of North Africa”; further etymology uncertain; possibly akin to Phoenician ʾafar “dust”; possibly the name of a local Libyan tribe ancestral to the Berbers

Compare meaning

How does african compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• African vs. Indian elephant

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

African Africans

Health workers on the front line are struggling to keep up with the spread of the virus in the vast central African country, which is among the poorest on the planet.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

Along the river, the zoo has added AI-powered wildlife cameras—originally built to track animals on the African savannah—to instantly flag movement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

For example Riyad Mahrez, a former African player of the year, was born in Clichy, France, but plays for Algeria, while Senegal’s Ibrahim Mbaye is from Trappes, Yvelines.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

The South African government says more than 53,000 foreign nationals have been deported or repatriated since launching a "migration management" campaign five weeks ago.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

They again called for African Americans to join their ranks during the War of 1812.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

But it was extremely hypocritical of the U.S. to condemn the Barbary states for enslaving a few hundred Americans given, you know, the extensive enslavement of hundreds of thousands of Africans on American soil.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

Beyond saying that it would only take west Africans, Accra has not revealed the terms of the agreement.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

The North Africans committed six errors leading to shots in total, four of which resulted directly in goals, as Graham Potter's side ran out 5-1 winners in their opening game.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

Elsewhere, Mr. Ryrie walks through the elaborate and charged categories—“pagan,” “heathen”—Europeans developed to understand the spiritual condition of Africans, Muslims, Jews and indigenous people.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Perhaps it was because he did not have that familiar superiority of English people who thought they understood Africans better than Africans understood themselves and, instead, had an endearing uncertainty about him—almost a shyness.

From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie