Argentina

American  

[ahr-juhn-tee-nuh, ahr-hen-tee-nah] / ˌɑr dʒənˈti nə, ˌɑr hɛnˈti nɑ /

noun

1. a republic in southern South America. 1,084,120 sq. mi. (2,807,870 sq. km). Buenos Aires.

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Argentina British  

/ ˌɑːdʒənˈtiːnə /

noun

1. Also called: the Argentine.  a republic in southern South America: colonized by the Spanish from 1516 onwards; gained independence in 1816 and became a republic in 1852; ruled by military dictatorships for much of the 20th century; civilian rule restored in 1983; consists chiefly of subtropical plains and forests (the Chaco) in the north, temperate plains (the pampas) in the central parts, the Andes in the west, and an infertile plain extending to Tierra del Fuego in the south (Patagonia); an important meat producer. Language: Spanish. Religion: Roman Catholic. Currency: peso. Capital: Buenos Aires. Pop: 42 610 981 (2013 est). Area: 2 776 653 sq km (1 072 067 sq miles)

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Argentina Cultural  

1. Republic in southern South America, bordered by Chile to the west; Bolivia and Paraguay to the north; and Brazil, Uruguay, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Its capital and largest city is Buenos Aires.

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Discover More

Juan Perón came to power in Argentina in 1946, establishing a dictatorship, and ruled with the aid of his second wife, the popular Eva Perón, until he was overthrown in 1955. He was president again from 1973 to 1974, when he died.

Second-largest nation of South America, after Brazil.

Other Word Forms

• anti-Argentina
  adjective
• pro-Argentina
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Argentina

From Spanish, from Italian: literally “made of silver, silver colored” (equivalent to argento “silver” + -ino adjective suffix), shortening of Terra Argentina “Land of Silver,” or Costa Argentina “Coast of Silver”; ultimately a derivative of Latin argentum “silver”; see also -ine ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Two of the vessel's hantavirus victims -- a married Dutch couple -- had traveled extensively in Argentina for four months, with forays into Chile and Uruguay.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

The luxury cruise, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, began its journey on 1 April in Ushuaia, Argentina.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

They point to a profit turnaround in March for Posco Argentina and a narrower 1Q loss for Posco Pilbara.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

The games in 2030 will span multiple countries, too, but much smaller ones: Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with opening games in Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

From the balcony of his palace, he said Argentina will fight until the very last man, dead or alive.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell