Asiatic
Americanadjective
noun
noun
Sensitive Note
See Asian.
Usage
Asiatic is the correct word to use in scientific language when talking about flora, fauna and anthropology, for instance Asiatic lion . Using it as a noun is offensive and old-fashioned
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of Asiatic
First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin Asiāticus, from Greek Asiātikos; see Asia, -tic ( def. )
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.
The zoo is home to more than 8,000 animals – from a colony of leafcutter ants to critically endangered Asiatic lions.
From BBC • Jan. 6, 2026
Last March, a female Asiatic cheetah, dubbed Majrad by scientists, was killed by a car in Iran’s Semnan province.
From Slate • May 25, 2024
The jailings prompted a massive outcry from conservationists, academics, and political leaders urging Iran to release the conservationists, who were working to protect endangered species such as the Asiatic cheetah.
From Science Magazine • Apr. 10, 2024
Asiatic proximity isn’t just token aesthetics, but a meaningful lesson and layer to the show.
From Salon • Mar. 3, 2024
These are sometimes called Asiatic, Attic, and Rhodian: hence “Atticism” and “Asianism” in this book’s glossary.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
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.
