European

American  

[yoor-uh-pee-uhn, yur-] / ˌyʊər əˈpi ən, ˌyɜr- /

adjective

1. of or relating to Europe or its inhabitants.

2. native to or derived from Europe.

   traditional European customs; European languages.

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Europe.

2. a person of European descent.

3. (in East Africa and Asia) a white person; Caucasian.

European British  

/ ˌjʊərəˈpɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Europe or its inhabitants

2. native to or derived from Europe

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Europe

2. a person of European descent

3. a supporter of the European Union or of political union of the countries of Europe or a part of it

Other Word Forms

• Europeanism noun
• Europeanly adverb
• anti-European adjective
• inter-European adjective
• non-European adjective
• pro-European adjective
• pseudo-European adjective
• un-European adjective

Etymology

Origin of European

1595–1605; < Latin Eurōpae(us) ( see Europe, -eous) + -an

Example Sentences

It brings together the members of the European Union and, this time, 21 other countries, from Albania to Britain.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

The European Union sanctioned him in 2012, followed by the U.S. in 2013.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

"This is not going to be like every single European airport is going to be hit on the same minute of the same hour. This is going to be a mess," he explained.

From BBC • May 3, 2026

The European Union’s foreign-policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said last month that “Iranian drones used against our Gulf partners likely incorporate Russian tech upgrades.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

NOTE: Some music traditions, such as Indian and medieval European, use modes or ragas, which are not quite the same as scales.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones