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”; -ine ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

The plan was to save enough money to move back to Argentina and start a bakery, which was the family business on my dad’s side of the family.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave his endorsement, as did the chainsaw-wielding leader Javier Milei of Argentina.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

The footballer's body was recovered from the plane wreckage about two-and-a-half weeks after the crash and repatriated to Argentina, but Ibbotson has never been found.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

Argentina has argued that having to pay the settlement -- $18 billion including interest, it says -- would cause severe harm to the finances of a country with persistent debt and inflation problems.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

Sargo had been the linchpin in Nazi spy networks not only in Argentina, but also across all of South America.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield