Libyan

American  

[lib-ee-uhn] / ˈlɪb i ən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Libya or its inhabitants.

---

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Libya.

2. a Berber language of ancient Libya.

ˈLibyan British  

/ ˈlɪbɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Libya, its people, or its language

---

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Libya

2. the extinct Hamitic language of ancient Libya

Other Word Forms

• anti-Libyan adjective
• pro-Libyan adjective
• trans-Libyan adjective

Etymology

Origin of Libyan

First recorded in 1535–45; Liby(a) + -an

Example Sentences

Moammar Gadhafi, the Libyan dictator, agreed in 2004 to turn over his nuclear-bomb-making material, Phoenix Air was sent to Tripoli to retrieve it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

A Russian tanker that was badly damaged in an attack in the Mediterranean last week is drifting without crew towards the Libyan coast, Italy's civil protection service said on Friday.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

The Libyan port authority said the ship was hit by "sudden explosions followed by a massive fire, which ultimately led to its complete sinking" north of the port of Sirte.

From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026

A Russian LNG gas tanker has sunk in the Mediterranean between Libya and Malta after it was hit by explosions and a fire, Libyan port officials have said.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

I saw the Libyan Desert, where nomads tend their camels as they did a thousand years ago.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins