Indian
Americannoun
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Also called American Indian, Amerind, Amerindian, Native American. a member of any of the aboriginal peoples of the Americas, especially of subarctic North America, excluding the Inuit, Yupik, and Aleut.
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any of the Indigenous languages of the American Indians. Ind
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a member of any of the peoples native to or inhabiting India or the East Indies.
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a citizen of the Republic of India.
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Slang. a person who performs a required task or carries out the instructions of superiors.
We have too many chiefs and not enough Indians.
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Astronomy. the constellation Indus.
adjective
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of, relating to, or characteristic of the American Indians or their languages.
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of, relating to, or characteristic of India or the East Indies.
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made of Indian corn.
Indian meal.
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Zoogeography. oriental.
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Phytogeography. belonging or pertaining to a geographical division comprising India south of the Himalayas, and Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
noun
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a native, citizen, or inhabitant of the Republic of India
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old-fashioned a Native American
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(not in scholarly usage) any of the languages of Native Americans
adjective
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of, relating to, or characteristic of India, its inhabitants, or any of their languages
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(Not in scholarly usage) of, relating to, or characteristic of Native Americans or any of their languages
Sensitive Note
Because Christopher Columbus mistakenly believed that the Caribbean island on which he had landed was the subcontinent of India, he called the inhabitants Indians. Eventually, that name was applied to almost all the Indigenous, non-European inhabitants of North and South America. In modern times Indian may refer to an inhabitant of the subcontinent of India or of the East Indies, to a citizen of the Republic of India, or to a member of an aboriginal American people. However, the term Indian is not applied to the Inuit, Yupik, and Aleut of Arctic North America. In the 18th century the term American Indian came to be used for the aboriginal inhabitants of the United States and Canada; it now includes the aboriginal peoples of South America as well. (When necessary, further distinctions are made with such terms as North American Indian and South American Indian. ) The terms Amerindian and Amerind subsequently developed in the attempt to reduce ambiguity. The most recent designation, especially in North America, is Native American. American Indians themselves tend to favor the terms Indian, American Indian, or a specific tribal name. They sometimes refer to themselves collectively as Indian peoples. All these terms appear in edited writing. Whether one or several will gain ascendancy over the others remains to be seen. See Eskimo. See also honest Injun, Indian giver.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Indian
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Medieval Latin Indiānus; replacing Middle English Indien, from Old French, from Medieval Latin as above; see India, -an
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.
Find insight on Indian Oil, Severn Trent, crude futures and more in the latest Market Talks covering Energy and Utilities.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
Andreescu's US Open victory capped off a year that also included an Indian Wells title and a Canadian Open win in her hometown of Toronto, and had propelled her up the world rankings.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
Meanwhile, the U.S. seized an Iran-linked oil tanker in the Indian Ocean overnight, according to three American officials.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
In that case, Adani was accused of having participated in an estimated $250 million scheme to bribe Indian officials for lucrative solar energy supply contracts.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
To read a little about one such tradition, please see Indian Classical Music: Tuning and Ragas.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
