African

American  

[af-ri-kuhn] / ˈæf rɪ kən /

adjective

1. of or from Africa; belonging to the Black peoples of Africa.

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noun

Africans plural

1. a native or inhabitant of Africa.

2. (loosely) a Black person or other person of African ancestry.

African British  

/ ˈæfrɪkən /

adjective

1. denoting or relating to Africa or any of its peoples, languages, nations, etc

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noun

1. a native, inhabitant, or citizen of any of the countries of Africa

2. a member or descendant of any of the peoples of Africa, esp a Black person

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Africanness
  noun
• inter-African
  adjective
• non-African
  adjective
• proAfrican
  adjective
• pseudo-African
  adjective
• trans-African
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Africans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of African

First recorded before 1000 for noun, 1540–60 for adjective; Middle English noun Affrican, Aufrican “an inhabitant of North Africa or the Roman province of Africa (approximately modern Tunisia),” Old English noun Africanas “Africans” (accusative plural), from Late Latin Āfricānus “an inhabitant of Africa,” from Latin adjective Āfricānus “pertaining to Africa, African,” from Āfrica (short for terra Āfrica “African land”) “the continent of Africa, the Roman province of Africa,” a derivative of Āfrī, plural of adjective and noun Āfer ( Āfra, Āfrum ) “pertaining to Africa, African,” as a noun “an inhabitant of North Africa”; further etymology uncertain; possibly akin to Phoenician ʾafar “dust”; possibly the name of a local Libyan tribe ancestral to the Berbers

Compare meaning

How does african compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• African vs. Indian elephant

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

African Africans

While she would secure sanctuary, of sorts, by avoiding a return to the African nation, her experiences over the following months were a far cry from the "glamourous" fortnight she had spent at the Olympics.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Earlier this month, the South African authorities confirmed the death of another Nigerian in June under similar circumstances.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

To market their goods, they turned to an informal network of African American artists, staging pop-up exhibitions in people’s homes and in other impromptu locations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Out of the 13 investigations launched by the court since it came into force, nine concern African states and just four in other regions of the world, it said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

African Americans had manned ships in the American Revolution, and these “Black Jacks” now worked the merchant ships that crowded Philadelphia’s busy port.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

It marks the 110th anniversary of the Battle of Delville Wood in Longueval, northern France, where several hundred South Africans were killed.

From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026

But it was extremely hypocritical of the U.S. to condemn the Barbary states for enslaving a few hundred Americans given, you know, the extensive enslavement of hundreds of thousands of Africans on American soil.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

Beyond saying that it would only take west Africans, Accra has not revealed the terms of the agreement.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

IIssa Diop had levelled in stoppage time to force extra time before the north Africans went on to win the shootout.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

John Rolfe, famed for his role in making tobacco a successful cash crop in Virginia and later marrying the woman known as Pocahontas, recorded that “20 and odd” Africans were brought to the settlement.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis