Afrikaner

American  

[af-ri-kah-ner, -kan-er] / ˌæf rɪˈkɑ nər, -ˈkæn ər /

Or Afrikaaner

noun

1. an Afrikaans-speaking native of South Africa of European, especially Dutch, descent.

---

Afrikaner British  

/ afriˈkaːnə, ˌæfrɪˈkɑːnə /

noun

1. a White native of the Republic of South Africa whose mother tongue is Afrikaans See also Boer

---

Etymology

Origin of Afrikaner

1815–1825; < Afrikaans, earlier Afrikaander, equivalent to Afrikaan African + -er -er ¹, with -d- from Hollander

Example Sentences

It referenced an open letter from dozens of members of the Afrikaner community rejecting the "narrative that portrays Afrikaners as victims of racist persecution".

From Barron's • Oct. 31, 2025

White Namibians, mainly of Afrikaner and German descent, constitute 2% of the population but, according to Namibia’s statistics authority, own 70% of commercial farmland.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 1, 2025

One Afrikaner organization claims that more than 2,300 farmers have been murdered over the last 35 years, which sounds alarming until you realize there were 26,000 reported murders in South Africa last year alone.

From Salon • May 25, 2025

Grok, responding to users who prompted it about the Afrikaner situation, frequently debunked the “white genocide” conspiracy theory.

From Slate • May 16, 2025

Bram Fischer, a part-time lecturer, was the scion of a distinguished Afrikaner family: his grandfather had been prime minister of the Orange River Colony and his father was judge-president of the Orange Free State.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela