Jamaican

American

[juh-mey-kuhn] / dʒəˈmeɪ kən /

adjective

of or relating to the island of Jamaica or its inhabitants.

noun

a native or inhabitant of Jamaica.

jamaican British

/ dʒəˈmeɪkən /

adjective

of or relating to Jamaica or its inhabitants

"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

noun

a native or inhabitant of Jamaica

"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

Etymology

Origin of Jamaican

First recorded in 1685–95; Jamaic(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.

His unique delivery – conversational and charismatic, combining Jamaican intonation with witty Britishisms and elevated vocabulary – was already in place.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Ten players from Jamaican side Mount Pleasant have been denied a visa to enter the United States for Wednesday's Concacaf Champions Cup tie against LA Galaxy.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

Around me: Jamaican steel drums, an electrified sitar, Mexican women selling churros, Chinese immigrants painting tourists’ names in calligraphy.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

Born in London to Jamaican parents, Lindo moved to San Francisco as a teen to train at the American Conservatory Theater.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

She and her husband, Donald, were schoolteachers in a tiny village called Harewood, in the central Jamaican parish of Saint Catherine’s.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023