Hispanic
Americanadjective
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of or relating to Spanish-speaking Latin America.
the United States and its Hispanic neighbors.
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Also Hispano of or relating to people of Spanish-speaking descent: the Hispanic vote;
Hispanic students;
the Hispanic vote;
Hispanic communities.
noun
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Also called Hispano-American. Also called Hispanic American. a citizen or resident of the United States who is of Spanish or Spanish-speaking Latin American descent.
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a person whose primary or native language is Spanish.
adjective
noun
Usage
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).
his is the word most generally used in the US to refer to people of Latin American or Spanish ancestry
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Hispanic
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin hispānicus, “Spanish”; see Hispania, -ic
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.
Hispanic and Black people comprise about 20% and 13% of the population, respectively, but 6% and 5% of active physicians.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
Hispanic communities along Route 66 in New Mexico predate the highway by centuries.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
About 63% of Hispanic workers, 52% of Black workers and 44% of Asian-American workers lack access to an employer-provided retirement plan.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026
Hispanic patients showed a stronger association between elevated NLR and dementia risk, though it remains unclear whether this reflects genetic influences or social factors such as differences in access to care.
From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026
Asian and Hispanic people; black and white people.
From "Towers Falling" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
