Ethiopian
Americanadjective
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of or relating to Ethiopia or to its inhabitants.
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belonging to the part of Africa south of the equator.
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Zoogeography. belonging to a geographical division comprising Africa south of the tropic of Cancer, the southern part of Arabia, and Madagascar.
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Archaic. Black African.
noun
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Ethiopians
plural
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a native of Ethiopia.
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a member of any of various supposedly dark-skinned peoples regarded by the ancients as coming from a country lying south of Egypt.
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Archaic. a Black African.
adjective
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of, relating to, or characteristic of Ethiopia, its people, or any of their languages
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of or denoting a zoogeographical region consisting of Africa south of the Sahara
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obsolete anthropol of or belonging to a postulated racial group characterized by dark skin, an oval elongated face, and thin lips, living chiefly in Africa south of the Sahara
noun
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a native or inhabitant of Ethiopia
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any of the languages of Ethiopia, esp Amharic
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of Ethiopian
First recorded in 1545–55; Ethiopi(a) + -an
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:
"Bringing together groups with contending understandings of the Ethiopian state, for the first time ever, itself has been a successful exercise," said Alamrew Yirdaw, a participant from the Amhara region.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed initially sought rapprochement with Eritrea when he came to power, and the two governments cooperated against the Tigrayan rebels in the 2020-2022 conflict.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Amanuel told AFP that he wants to form alliances with anyone fighting the Ethiopian federal government, but gave no further details.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Gebremariam was earlier CEO at Ethiopian Airlines, where he worked for over a decade, growing the regional carrier into one of Africa's largest airlines.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Colonel Tadesse rapidly arranged for me to take an Ethiopian flight to Khartoum.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
The victims, aged between 7 and 46, were mostly Iraqi Kurds, but also included Afghans, Ethiopians and Egyptians.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
He says Somalis fighting on the side of the Ethiopians were viewed as traitors for "betraying their country".
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
Ahmed, though, is facing growing domestic pressure to reduce the steep prices Ethiopians pay for imports, from food to fuel, which principally come via ports in Djibouti, Somalia, and Kenya.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026
The GERD, whose construction began in 2011, was financed through taxes and loans from Ethiopians.
From Barron's ● Feb. 3, 2026
He had gone to visit the Ethiopians, who lived on the farther bank of Ocean, to the south, and it was certain he would stay there some time, feasting merrily with them.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
