Asian
Americanadjective
noun
-
Asians
plural
adjective
-
of or relating to Asia or to any of its peoples or languages
-
of or relating to natives of the Indian subcontinent or any of their descendants, esp when living in Britain
noun
-
a native or inhabitant of Asia or a descendant of one
-
a native of the Indian subcontinent or a descendant of one
Sensitive Note
Asian is the most commonly used term referring to people in or from Asia, especially East Asia. In American English, Oriental as a noun or adjective applied to people is outdated and has become a sensitive term to be avoided. It is associated with a bygone era in which Asians had subordinate status and their culture was perceived as strange and exotic. Also, the origin of the term Oriental represents a Eurocentric view of geography, since the Orient, or East, is east of Europe. However, Oriental is a neutral, inoffensive term when used as an adjective describing Asian culture or things from Asia. Similarly, the term Asiatic is usually offensive when referring to people, but neutral when referring to Asian culture, animals, etc. Though Asian is an acceptable ethnic designation in most contexts, it is best to be as specific as possible, rather than to group all Asians into a single cultural identity. In general, people of South, Southeast, and East Asian origin prefer to be identified by their country of origin: for example, Indian, Pakistani, Indonesian, Korean, Japanese, or Chinese. The people of the Middle East and Polynesia are not usually referred to as Asian.
Usage
To refer to someone from the Indian subcontinent as an Asian is potentially offensive and should be avoided. If you are talking about one specific group, it is better to say so, for instance people of Indian descent
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of Asian
First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin Asiānus, from Greek Asiānós; see Asia, -an
Compare meaning
How does asian compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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:
While sweetcorn is already a staple in South East Asian and Latin American puddings, it has largely been relegated to sandwich fillings and pizza toppings in the UK.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Flash August PMIs showed manufacturers in some Asian economies, including Australia and India, grappling with rising costs, while demand for goods remained strong as new orders picked up and business confidence improved.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
A template was then set up for other Instagrammers to take advantage, going on to encompass buzzy topics like East Asian rappers, the use of A.I. in the insurance industry, and the Himalayas.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
Asian firms followed suit, with South Korea's SK hynix and Samsung up from two to three percent with Japan's Kioxia more than four percent higher.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
On another street, a young Asian woman was using a long-handled squeegee to push water out the front door of a Chinese restaurant.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
He would like to see more young South Asians shaping the future of broadcasting.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
First, the Naturalization Acts then didn’t make Asians eligible for citizenship until after 1900.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
The Japanese genome study identified 44 archaic DNA regions still present in modern Japanese populations, many of them unique to East Asians.
From Science Daily ● May 14, 2026
It loomed large in the Asian American imagination as the only Broadway musical prior to 2015 that centered Asians as Americans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026
Not that I identified with the newcomers, nor with the rare Black descendants of native San Franciscans, nor with the whites or even the Asians, but rather with the times and the city.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
