Hispanic
[ hi-span-ik ]
/ hɪˈspæn ɪk /
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adjective
of or relating to Spanish-speaking Latin America: the United States and its Hispanic neighbors.
Also His·pan·o [hi-span-oh, -spah-noh] /hɪˈspæn oʊ, -ˈspɑ noʊ/ . of or relating to people of Spanish-speaking descent: Hispanic students;the Hispanic vote;Hispanic communities.Compare Latino (def. 1).
noun
Also called His·pan·o-A·mer·i·can [hi-span-oh-uh-mer-i-kuhn, -spah-noh], /hɪˈspæn oʊ əˈmɛr ɪ kən, -ˈspɑ noʊ/, His·pan·ic A·mer·i·can . a citizen or resident of the United States who is of Spanish or Spanish-speaking Latin American descent. Compare Latino (def. 2).
a person whose primary or native language is Spanish.
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usage note for Hispanic
Some words that describe national or ethnic identities are acceptable as plural nouns, but are more controversial as singular nouns. This is the case for Hispanic. It’s often acceptable as a plural noun (a candidate favored by Hispanics ). However, it may sometimes be less so as a singular noun (the candidate who is a Hispanic ). Such words are always perfectly appropriate as adjectives (strategies to get Hispanic voters to the polls).
OTHER WORDS FROM Hispanic
His·pan·i·cal·ly, adverbnon-His·pan·ic, adjectivepre-His·pan·ic, adjectivetrans-His·pan·ic, adjectiveWords nearby Hispanic
hirundine, his, his-and-her, hisn, Hispania, Hispanic, Hispanicism, Hispanicist, Hispanicize, hispanidad, Hispaniola
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use Hispanic in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for Hispanic
Hispanic
/ (hɪˈspænɪk) /
adjective
relating to, characteristic of, or derived from Spain or Spanish-speaking countries
noun
US a person of Latin-American or Spanish descent living in the US
usage for Hispanic
his is the word most generally used in the US to refer to people of Latin American or Spanish ancestry
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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