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Alexandrian

American  
[al-ig-zan-dree-uhn, -zahn-] / ˌæl ɪgˈzæn dri ən, -ˈzɑn- /

adjective

  1. of Alexandria, especially Alexandria, Egypt.

  2. of or relating to the schools of philosophy, literature, and science in ancient Alexandria.

  3. Alexandrine.


noun

  1. a native or inhabitant of Alexandria, especially Alexandria, Egypt.

Alexandrian British  
/ ˌælɪɡˈzændrɪən, -ˈzɑːn- /

adjective

  1. of or relating to Alexander the Great

  2. of or relating to Alexandria in Egypt

  3. relating to the Hellenistic philosophical, literary, and scientific ideas that flourished in Alexandria in the last three centuries bc

  4. (of writers, literary works, etc) erudite and imitative rather than original or creative

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a native or inhabitant of Alexandria

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of Alexandrian

First recorded in 1575–85; Alexandri(a) + -an


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Tangentially concerned with time, memory and preservation, “Cleopatra’s Last Temple” isn’t exactly breaking news—the exploration of the Alexandrian harbor and the ruins preserved in its waters has been under way since 1992.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2025

As in the earlier seizures, the unnamed Alexandrian had his firearm confiscated by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police, and was written up for the violation.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 26, 2023

Pepper recalled that she had been undecided for weeks on the issue, a classically Alexandrian civic battle that seemed to have divided the city.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 7, 2022

Eating an Alexandrian liver sandwich, you begin to understand why.

From New York Times ● Nov. 2, 2021

In Greece the tide was turning, although the Ionian tradition continued in Alexandrian Egypt two hundred years later.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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