Indonesian
Americannoun
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a member of the ethnic group consisting of the natives of Indonesia, the Filipinos, and the Malays of Malaysia.
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a member of a population supposed to have been resident in the Malay Archipelago before the Malays, and believed to constitute one element of the present mixed population of Malaysia and perhaps Polynesia.
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Official Name Bahasa Indonesia. an Indonesian language that is based on the form of Malay spoken in Java and has the status of official language in the Republic of Indonesia.
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the westernmost branch of the Austronesian family of languages, including Malay, Indonesian, Tagalog, and Malagasy.
adjective
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of or relating to the Malay Archipelago.
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of or relating to Indonesia, the Indonesians, or their languages.
adjective
noun
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a native or inhabitant of Indonesia
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another name for Bahasa Indonesia
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of Indonesian
First recorded in 1840–50; Indonesi(a) + -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.
See Examples For:
As the government’s enforcement pushes more local miners into legal channels, PT Timah should gradually recapture these volumes, boosting the Indonesian company’s tin-metal sales over 2026-2028.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Taipei and Bangkok fell, while Jakarta was also in retreat following the surprise resignation of Indonesian central bank boss Perry Warjiyo citing personal reasons.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Indonesian policymakers have implemented a string of rate increases this year to support the faltering rupiah and fragile economic growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The BBC has asked Indonesian police whether the biological parents of the allegedly trafficked babies would be investigated.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
As the colonists crossed the straits separating each Indonesian island from the next one to the east, they adapted anew, filled up that next island, and went on to colonize the next island again.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Observers also say a guilty verdict could risk disillusioning young Indonesians who want to pursue a career in government.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
Indonesians Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin triumphed in the men's doubles over Indians Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty after back-and-forth match points.
From Barron's ● May 17, 2026
The group of 20 hikers, a mix of Singaporeans and Indonesians, had climbed to the summit despite previous warnings against such activity.
From BBC ● May 11, 2026
Everyone is doomed in Mr. Diaz’s account of European colonialism and exploratory naval history—not just the primitive Filipinos and Indonesians but the Portuguese on the mission from their silent God.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
Why did Austronesian people, stemming ultimately from mainland China, colonize Java and the rest of Indonesia and replace the original inhabitants there, instead of Indonesians colonizing China and replacing the Chinese?
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
