American Indian

American  

noun

1. Indian.

2. Amerind. AmerInd

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American Indian British  

noun

1. Also called: Native American.  a member of any of the indigenous peoples of North, Central, or South America, esp those of North America

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adjective

1. Also: Amerindian.  of or relating to any of these peoples, their languages, or their cultures

Sensitive Note

See Indian.

Usage

This term is still acceptable and is widely used by American Indians themselves. The most accepted phrase in general use nowadays is Native American

Etymology

Origin of American Indian

First recorded in 1725–35

Example Sentences

Previous Stanford-led research showed that long-term NO2 exposure is 60 percent higher in American Indian and Alaska Native households and 20 percent higher in Black and Hispanic or Latino households compared to the national average.

From Science Daily • Dec. 3, 2025

The announcement follows a mid-November meeting with King and members of the Tribal Alliance Against Frauds, a US-based group dedicated to exposing people who falsely claim American Indian heritage.

From BBC • Nov. 25, 2025

No other historian has mined American Indian accounts—written, oral and pictographic—of a war with the U.S. government more thoroughly than Mr. Hedren has here.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

I was the first Indian comedian that big, and they wanted me to have the American Indian experience, but the Indians in the United States are the wealthiest minority in this country.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2025

It was one of the hardest of all American Indian languages to learn.

From "Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two" by Joseph Bruchac