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

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

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

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

As Marvin-Alonzo Greer, a former supervisor of the site’s African American History Initiative, said, “If you wanted to understand who actually lived there, how the town functioned, you took a carriage ride.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Fairfax was once considered a rising star in the Democratic Party, after he was elected Virginia’s lieutenant governor in 2017, making him only the second African American elected to statewide office.

From Salon • Apr. 16, 2026

South African police say have they arrested "wanted fugitive" French-born Beninese activist Kemi Seba while he was allegedly attempting to flee to Europe through Zimbabwe.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

He studied finance in Grenoble, France and then moved to the United States to study at Harvard, before joining consulting firm Deloitte where he became a partner and handled African operations.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

In this sweeping international epic, black and white American soldiers protect each other under enemy fire in the African desert.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein