diasporic

American  

[dahy-uh-spawr-ik, ‑-spor-ik] / ˌdaɪ əˈspɔr ɪk, ‑ˈspɒr ɪk /

adjective

1. Often Diasporic of or relating to the Diaspora, the scattering of the Jews to countries outside Palestine after the Babylonian captivity.

   The diasporic book of Daniel celebrates Daniel's refusal to assimilate to the pressures of the gentile court in Babylon.

2. Often Diasporic of, being, or relating to the body of Jews living in countries other than Israel, or those countries collectively.

   The Encyclopedia of Jewish Cultures provides a picture that encompasses Diasporic forms of Jewish existence, including the shift from sacredly imbued patterns to more secular ones.

3. Often Diasporic of, being, or relating to any group that has been dispersed outside its traditional homeland, either involuntarily or by migration.

   In recent years large numbers of people have fled from Kurdistan, and Kurds now make up a broad range of diasporic communities around the world.

4. relating to, characterized by, or arising from the social phenomenon of dispersion, constant mobility, and rootlessness.

   His poems project the turmoil of this particular fractured and diasporic moment, where the unsettled is the norm and all is in continuous flux.

---

Etymology

Origin of diasporic

First recorded in 1895–1900; diaspor(a) ( def. ) + -ic

Explanation

Diasporic describes groups of people who live far away from their home country. One of the largest diasporic communities in the U.S. is made up of Vietnamese immigrants. Anyone in a diasporic group shares a homeland or heritage with the other members of that group. Many of these communities formed after people had to leave their own country and find refuge in another — after the Vietnam War, thousands of Vietnamese citizens fled their homes. They now form a diasporic group of about five million in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, and Australia. Diasporic has a Greek root meaning "to scatter about."

Example Sentences

Kafka’s parables of angst and displacement are naturally diasporic.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

It is West African, pan-African, and diasporic in origin, carrying Ghana's musical imprint at its foundation.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

Multi-hyphenate journalist and scholar Jennifer Mota, an inactive voting member of the Recording Academy, believes the inclusive effort to bring in more authentic, diasporic voices could help redefine what music excellence is.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 4, 2025

From regional politics to diasporic identity, how history is remembered determines how communities engage with one another.

From Salon • Jul. 31, 2025

The physical toll that resulted seems almost impossible to fathom today: millions dead, a landscape destroyed, diasporic communities created, and countless people still poisoned by American chemical agents.

From Slate • Apr. 30, 2025