Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Melanesian

American  
[mel-uh-nee-zhuhn, -shuhn] / ˌmɛl əˈni ʒən, -ʃən /

adjective

  1. of or relating to Melanesia, its inhabitants, or their languages.


noun

  1. a member of any of the Indigenous peoples inhabiting Melanesia.

  2. the Austronesian languages of Melanesia, taken collectively.

Melanesian British  
/ ˌmɛləˈniːzɪən /

adjective

  1. of or relating to Melanesia, its people, or their languages

"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

  1. a native or inhabitant of Melanesia: generally Negroid with frizzy hair and small stature

  2. a group or branch of languages spoken in Melanesia, belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian family

  3. See also Neo-Melanesian

"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 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.

The islands, inhabited by its Indigenous Melanesian people since the sixth century B.C., were jointly ruled by Britain and France for nearly 100 years.

From New York Times • Dec. 8, 2022

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

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

As to the poverty of the Polynesian language in sounds and grammatical forms by comparison with the Melanesian, see R. H. Codrington, The Melanesian Languages, p.

From The Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead Vol. II by Frazer, James George, Sir

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "Melanesian" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com