Filipino
Americanadjective
noun
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Sometimes Offensive. an inhabitant of the Philippines or a person of Philippine origin or descent.
noun
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Also (feminine): Filipina. a native or inhabitant of the Philippines
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another name for Tagalog
adjective
Sensitive Note
Use as a noun in reference to a person (e.g., “a Filipino”) is sometimes considered offensive.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Filipino
First recorded in 1895–1900; from Spanish, derived from (las Islas) Filipinas “the Philippine Islands”; see origin at Philippines
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.
Perhaps part of the answer lies in their unique DNA, a mix of Mario’s Black and Filipino background and Karen’s Italian and Peruvian roots.
From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2026
Diane Briones Williams’s textiles at Official Welcome inject international flair into Western art history by rendering traditional scenes—landscapes, still lifes and genre painings—in needlepoint, then adding elements that touch on the artist’s Filipino heritage.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
Seventeen Filipino crew members arrived in the Netherlands on Tuesday morning, according to the Philippine Embassy.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
Filipino ferry dispatcher Dave Delos Reyes has been handing out N95 masks for nearly three weeks to protect passengers against the smoke that a landfill fire has sent billowing above a stretch of Manila Bay.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
Then, one cool Sunday shortly after New Year’s Day, Baba was selling a lampshade to a stocky Filipino man while I rummaged in the VW for a blanket to cover his legs with.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
