Iranian

American  

[ih-rey-nee-uhn, ih-rah-, ahy-rey-] / ɪˈreɪ ni ən, ɪˈrɑ-, aɪˈreɪ- /

Also Irani

adjective

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

2. of or relating to the Iranian languages.

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noun

Iranians plural

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

2. an inhabitant of Iran; Persian.

Iranian British  

/ ɪˈreɪnɪən /

noun

1. a native, citizen, or inhabitant of Iran

2. 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)

3. Also: Persian.   Farsi.  the modern Persian language

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adjective

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

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anti-Iranian
  adjective
• pro-Iranian
  adjective
• pseudo-Iranian
  adjective
• trans-Iranian
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Iranians
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Iranian

First recorded in 1835–45; Iran + -ian

Example Sentences

But it couldn’t get the ball past Iranian keeper Alireza Beiranvand.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2026

He posted it on social media just as U.S. negotiators led by Vice President JD Vance were meeting with Iranian counterparts in Switzerland to hammer out a permanent peace deal.

From Barron's • Jun. 21, 2026

President Trump said he told Iranian officials about the Strait of Hormuz.

From Salon • Jun. 21, 2026

US and Iranian officials have arrived in Switzerland for direct talks after signing an initial agreement to end the war last week.

From BBC • Jun. 21, 2026

But voting booths aside, I worried I'd be betraying my Iranian side if I was too gung ho about becoming fully Americanized.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi