Iranian

[ ih-rey-nee-uhn, ih-rah-, ahy-rey- ]

/ ɪˈreɪ ni ən, ɪˈrɑ-, aɪˈreɪ- /

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adjective

of or relating to Iran, its inhabitants, or their language.

of or relating to the Iranian languages.

noun

a subbranch of the Indo-European family of languages, including especially Persian, Pashto, Avestan, and Kurdish.

an inhabitant of Iran; Persian.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

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Also I·ra·ni

[ih-ran-ee, ih-rah-nee, ahy-rey-] /ɪˈræn i, ɪˈrɑ ni, aɪˈreɪ-/ (for defs. 1, 4).

Origin of Iranian

First recorded in 1835–45; Iran + -ian

OTHER WORDS FROM Iranian

pro-I·ra·ni·an, adjective, nounpseu·do-I·ra·ni·an, adjective, nountrans-I·ra·ni·an, adjective

Words nearby Iranian

irade, Iraki, Iráklion, Iran, Iran-Contra affair, Iranian, Iranian Plateau, Iran-Iraq War, Irapuato, Iraq, Iraqi

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Iranian in a sentence

“Under Suleimani several military branches have taken shape [in Iraq] which are run by Iran and the Iranian military,” he said.
What an Iranian Funeral Tells Us About the Wars in Iraq|IranWire|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A senior Iranian official in Pakistan later confirmed the strike took place, declining to elaborate.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan|Umar Farooq|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rights activists like Boledi, the Iranian Baluch dissident living in Sweden, harbor some of the same concerns.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan|Umar Farooq|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A few weeks later, the militants carried out a series of raids on border posts, killing five Iranian policemen.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan|Umar Farooq|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Saleem believes that the strike came from a nearby airbase across the Iranian border.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan|Umar Farooq|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
De Morgan believes that he has found proofs of their presence on the Iranian plateau at a comparatively late date.
The New Stone Age in Northern Europe|John M. Tyler
Everything tended to more firmly fix in their structure the already long-inherited characters of their Iranian ancestors.
The New Stone Age in Northern Europe|John M. Tyler
This notion of the way, which was also the truth and the life, seems to have existed before the separation of Indian from Iranian.
The New Stone Age in Northern Europe|John M. Tyler
Its origin is hard to trace, but parts of the legends carry the investigator back to Iranian sources.
The Elder Eddas of Saemund Sigfusson; and the Younger Eddas of Snorre Sturleson|Saemund Sigfusson and Snorre Sturleson
A lower and less pretentious variety of the same head-gear adorns the brow of the fin de sicle Iranian gallant.
The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan|James Morier

British Dictionary definitions for Iranian

Iranian

/ (ɪˈreɪnɪən) /

noun

a native, citizen, or inhabitant of Iran

a branch of the Indo-European family of languages, divided into West Iranian (including Old Persian, Pahlavi, modern Persian, Kurdish, Baluchi, and Tajik) and East Iranian (including Avestan, Sogdian, Pashto, and Ossetic)

Also: Persian, Farsi the modern Persian language

adjective

relating to, denoting, or characteristic of Iran, its inhabitants, or their language; Persian

belonging to or relating to the Iranian branch of Indo-European

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