hyphenated

American

[hahy-fuh-nay-tid] / ˈhaɪ fəˌneɪ tɪd /

adjective

Informal.

of, relating to, or designating a person, group, or organization of mixed origin or identity.

an Irish-American club and other hyphenated organizations.

hyphenated British

/ ˈhaɪfəˌneɪtɪd /

adjective

containing or linked with a hyphen
having a nationality denoted by a hyphenated word, as in American-Irish
denoting something, such as a professional career, that consists of two elements, as in singer-songwriter

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

unhyphenated

adjective

Etymology

Origin of hyphenated

First recorded in 1890–95; hyphenate + -ed ²

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.

See Examples For:

hyphenated

It was another hyphenated player who thwarted that.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

Her husband kept his last name, while she hyphenated her last name with his.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Versions with and without the hyphen have been used in the past, but a 1960 Privy Council announcement used the hyphenated version, which will be used from now on.

From BBC ● Nov. 11, 2025

An Orange County election board staff member told her they suspected that process initially failed because her last name is now hyphenated.

From Salon ● Feb. 1, 2025

Some phrases beginning with full are hyphenated: full-blooded, full-blown, full- bodied, full-bore, full-fledged, full-scale, full-service, full-size, full-time, and so on.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023