Asian
Americanadjective
noun
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
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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 In American English, Oriental as a noun or adjective applied to people is outdated and has become a sensitive term to be avoided.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:
Seoul led gains across Asian equity markets Wednesday as tech firms bounced back following a softer-than-expected US inflation print that soothed worries about a possible interest rate hike this month.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Asian stocks enjoyed a much-needed rally following a painful selloff in recent weeks as tech firms were battered by concerns over extended valuations and the vast sums invested in artificial intelligence.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Many Asian oil buyers are taking more cargoes from Latin America, West Africa and the U.S. to rebuild their strategic stockpiles as they seek to reduce exposure to the strait.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Asian currencies mostly weakened against the dollar in early trade amid rising Middle East tensions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
And they weren’t all white and European looking either—she saw African faces, Asian, Hispanic.
From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu
First, the Naturalization Acts then didn’t make Asians eligible for citizenship until after 1900.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
"I thought Crazy Rich Asians was something, but crazy rich Africans is a whole 'nother level," Emmy-award winning talk-show host and actress Sherri Shepherd said on Instagram, external.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 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
He peeled off voters from the Democratic Party’s base — Latinos, Asians and young Black men.
From Salon ● Apr. 9, 2026
Especially in their eye shapes, those statues unmistakably depict East Asians, such as modern Japanese or Koreans.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
