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.

---

noun

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

---

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

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

Etymology

Origin of Iranian

First recorded in 1835–45; Iran + -ian

Example Sentences

Iranian and American forces raced each other Saturday to recover a crew member of the first US fighter jet to go down inside Iran since the start of the war.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

Iranian forces are potentially more dangerous, experts say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has maintained for weeks that the U.S. has “complete, uncontested control of Iranian airspace” after destroying the country’s air defenses.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Iranian intelligence has gotten into his Gmail—where he had forwarded emails from his Justice Department account.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2026

“No. There’s a girl too. She’s full Iranian, though.”

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram