Indonesian

[in-duh-nee-zhuhn, -shuhn, -zee-uhn, -doh-]

noun

1. a member of the ethnic group consisting of the natives of Indonesia, the Filipinos, and the Malays of Malaysia.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. the westernmost branch of the Austronesian family of languages, including Malay, Indonesian, Tagalog, and Malagasy.

adjective

1. of or relating to the Malay Archipelago.

2. of or relating to Indonesia, the Indonesians, or their languages.

Indonesian

/ ˌɪndəʊˈniːzɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Indonesia, its people, or their language

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Indonesia

2. another name for Bahasa Indonesia

Other Word Forms

• anti-Indonesian adjective
• pro-Indonesian adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Indonesian¹

First recorded in 1840–50; Indonesi(a) + -an

Example Sentences

The analyst cites the Indonesian hospital network operator’s strong nationwide penetration, scale advantage and service upgrades.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But many have increasingly questioned its effectiveness in solving regional issues, from air pollution caused by Indonesian forest fires to competing South China Sea claims.

Read more on BBC

Potential clients include Indonesian customers and American tech giants, who outside the U.S. often use local partners instead of building their own facilities.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

A fatal mud rush in September at an Indonesian mine led to seven deaths and a suspension of operations.

Read more on Barron's

The Indonesian leader said both countries were working to establish a free trade agreement between the Southeast Asian powerhouse and the South American bloc Mercosur, which consists of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Uruguay.

Read more on Barron's