adjective
noun
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a native or inhabitant of Melanesia: generally Negroid with frizzy hair and small stature
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a group or branch of languages spoken in Melanesia, belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian family
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See also Neo-Melanesian
Etymology
Origin of Melanesian
First recorded in 1840–50; Melanesi(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.
Vanuatu has long supported the independence movement in the Indonesian province of West Papua, where much of the population is Melanesian.
From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2022
“They think they can walk in and everyone is going to bow down,” said Dorothy Wickham, founder and editor of the Melanesian News Network, who covered Mr. Wang’s visit.
From New York Times ● Aug. 21, 2022
In Melanesian culture, a wide-eyed gasping face is a symbol of aggression, not fear.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 27, 2022
George Hoa’au, the acting director-general of the Melanesian group, said the French were "not good at anti-colonisation."
From Reuters ● Dec. 10, 2021
On the whole the Fijians are predominately Melanesian but with numerous Polynesian affinities that vary with locality.
From A Racial Study of the Fijians by Gabel, Norman E.
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.
