Asiatic

American  

[ey-zhee-at-ik, ey-shee-, ey-zee-] / ˌeɪ ʒiˈæt ɪk, ˌeɪ ʃi-, ˌeɪ zi- /

adjective

1. Asian.

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noun

Usually Offensive.

1. an Asian person.

Asiatic British  

/ ˌeɪʃɪˈætɪk, -zɪ- /

noun

1. a word formerly used for Asian

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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

• anti-Asiatic adjective
• half-Asiatic adjective
• non-Asiatic adjective
• pro-Asiatic adjective
• trans-Asiatic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Asiatic

First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin Asiāticus, from Greek Asiātikos; Asia, -tic ( def. )

Example Sentences

Indeed, as one Royal Asiatic Society lecturer quipped:

From BBC • Jun. 21, 2025

Majrad could have been the Asiatic cheetah’s salvation; instead, her demise may signal its doom.

From Slate • May 25, 2024

Past the front yard, more than 80 varieties of towering Asiatic lilies, some as tall as 8 feet, create a dramatic and elegant display.

From Seattle Times • May 22, 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

That problem also derailed domestication of North American bighorn sheep, which belong to the same genus as Asiatic mouflon sheep, ancestor of our domestic sheep.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond