New Guinea

American  

noun

1. a large island N of Australia, politically divided into the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya (West Irian) and the independent country of Papua New Guinea. About 316,000 sq. mi. (818,000 sq. km).

---

New Guinea British  

noun

1. an island in the W Pacific, north of Australia: divided politically into Papua (formerly Irian Jaya, a province of Indonesia) in the west and Papua New Guinea in the east. There is a central chain of mountains and a lowland area of swamps in the south and along the Sepik River in the north. Area: 775 213 sq km (299 310 sq miles)

2. (until 1975) an administrative division of the former Territory of Papua and New Guinea, consisting of the NE part of the island of New Guinea together with the Bismarck Archipelago; now part of Papua New Guinea

---

New Guinea Cultural  

1. Island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, north of Australia. The western half of the island is administered by Indonesia.

---

Discover More

New Guinea is the world's second-largest island, after Greenland.

It was named for its resemblance to the Guinea coast of western Africa.

Other Word Forms

• New Guinean
  adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

New Guinea

That contrast is especially striking in the Bismarck Sea north of Papua New Guinea, where the seafloor remains poorly understood despite its remarkable geological complexity.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026

"We have continued to engage constructively with the Papua New Guinea government since their notification of suspension to have these trade restrictions removed," Collins said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

Neighbouring Papua New Guinea briefly suspended imports of Australian eggs and chicken meat -- although this has since been lifted with some exceptions.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

Australia - through public money and philanthropy - is now helping its neighbours, countries like Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea, pursue elimination too.

From BBC ● May 1, 2026

They are also better prepared than Europeans for subsisting in New Guinea, because Indonesian agriculture already included bananas, sweet potatoes, and some other staple crops of New Guinea agriculture.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond