Karen
1 Americannoun
plural
Karens,plural
Karen-
a group of people of eastern and southern Myanmar (Burma).
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one of these people.
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the language of the Karen, a Tibeto-Burman language of the Sino-Tibetan family.
adjective
noun
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Also Karin a first name, form of Katherine.
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Informal: Disparaging.
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a white, usually middle-class woman who is rude, demanding, and aggressive toward other people, particularly customer service workers.
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a person acting in an aggressive, entitled, rude way.
He went full Karen on the poor store manager and threatened to get her fired.
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noun
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a member of a Thai people of Myanmar
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the language of this people, probably related to Thai and belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family
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.
High-school students such as Karen Aparicio Acosta are getting their nursing certificates to secure a job after graduation.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
Former Chelsea midfielder Karen Carney still believes Shaw will be at City next season but wherever she is, she will make a difference.
From BBC • May 10, 2026
At one point, Councilmember Nithya Raman accused Mayor Karen Bass and reality TV star Spencer Pratt of teaming up to attack her.
From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026
Karen Bass, Spencer Pratt and Nithya Raman each came into tonight’s mayoral debate with goals for what may be their only time together on stage.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
“That’s not funny, Mary Anne,” Karen said angrily.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
