Aryan

American  

[air-ee-uhn, air-yuhn, ar-] / ˈɛər i ən, ˈɛər yən, ˈær- /

Also Arian

noun

1. Ethnology. a member or descendant of the prehistoric people who spoke Indo-European.

2. (in Nazi doctrine) a non-Jewish Caucasian, especially of Nordic stock.

3. (formerly) Indo-European.

4. (formerly) Indo-Iranian.

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adjective

1. of or relating to an Aryan or the Aryans.

2. (formerly) Indo-European.

3. (formerly) Indo-Iranian.

Aryan British  

/ ˈɛərɪən /

noun

1. (in Nazi ideology) a Caucasian of non-Jewish descent, esp of the Nordic type

2. a member of any of the peoples supposedly descended from the Indo-Europeans, esp a speaker of an Iranian or Indic language in ancient times

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of an Aryan or Aryans

adjective

1. archaic Indo-European

Other Word Forms

• non-Aryan
  noun
• pre-Aryan
  adjective
• pseudo-Aryan
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Aryan

First recorded in 1785–95; from Sanskrit ārya “of high rank” (adjective), “aristocrat” (noun) + -an

Example Sentences

Aryan Simhadri, who portrays Percy’s best friend Grover Underwood in the series, spoke out last year about an unsettling encounter with a handsy fan when a group of “40 drunk college girls” recognized him.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Prominent Aryan Germans, by contrast, faced a moral dilemma: to stay in Nazi Germany or leave.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

"But it's only as good as one season, so the negotiations are not a done job," said Pankaj Bedi, CEO of United Aryan in Nairobi.

From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026

Aryan, he explained, was an aeroplane enthusiast and liked looking at them as they flew in the sky over his village.

From BBC • Jun. 17, 2025

Von Rumpel’s particular gift is for diamonds: he can facet and polish stones as well as any Aryan jeweler in Europe, and he often spots fakes at a glance.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr