oriental
(usually initial capital letter) of, relating to, or characteristic of the Orient, or East, typically East Asia; Eastern.
of the orient, or the eastern region of the world or heavens: oriental countries;stars in the oriental sky.
(initial capital letter)Zoogeography. belonging to a geographical division comprising southern Asia and the Malay Archipelago as far as and including the Philippines, Borneo, and Java.
Jewelry.
(usually initial capital letter) designating various gems that are varieties of corundum: Oriental aquamarine; Oriental ruby.
fine or precious; orient: oriental agate; oriental garnet.
designating certain natural saltwater pearls found especially in Asia.
(usually initial capital letter)Older Use: Usually Disparaging and Offensive. a native or inhabitant of the Orient, or East.
Origin of oriental
1usage note For oriental
Other words from oriental
- o·ri·en·tal·ly, adverb
- an·ti-O·ri·en·tal, adjective, noun
- half-o·ri·en·tal, adjective
- non·o·ri·en·tal, adjective, noun
- pseu·do·o·ri·en·tal, adjective
- qua·si-o·ri·en·tal, adjective
- sem·i·o·ri·en·tal, adjective
- un·o·ri·en·tal, adjective
Words that may be confused with oriental
Words Nearby oriental
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use oriental in a sentence
A choice Johnson says he made channeling a Harpo Marx type character, and not a “mysterious oriental.”
‘Star Wars’ Director Rian Johnson May Bring Balance to the Force | Rich Goldstein | June 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe mattresses are taken off the beds, making four low oriental divans.
“I hear Gore’s voice and I want so much to be with him” | Anaïs Nin | October 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThey screamed oriental abuse at the Korean perpetrator of the crime, and the Korean perpetrator screamed back.
One Direction, Harry Styles and the Princess Diana Connection | Tom Sykes | September 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTMalcolm lives in New York, in an apartment of wood floors and oriental carpets, overlooking Gramercy Park.
Old Anxieties Get a New Life: Artist Janet Malcolm Digs Up Ancient Case Files From a Mystery Psychiatrist | Casey Schwartz | December 31, 2011 | THE DAILY BEASTOn Nov. 8, The Norman Mailer Center will fete writers, both famous and not, at a gala at the Mandarin oriental Hotel in New York.
Monotheism is strictly inconsistent with the supremacy of “merits” which is the very soul of oriental religion.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature | Moncure Daniel ConwayHe was professor of oriental languages; his dissertations on various subjects of criticism and antiquity were highly esteemed.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellHe was distinguished as an oriental scholar, and died while delivering an oration at the academy of Caen.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellWhether this aptitude was combined with the sinuous cunning that is essentially oriental Nigel did not know.
Bella Donna | Robert HichensJoseph White, an eminent English divine, and oriental scholar, died.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel Munsell
British Dictionary definitions for oriental (1 of 2)
/ (ˌɔːrɪˈɛntəl) /
another word for eastern Compare occidental
British Dictionary definitions for Oriental (2 of 2)
/ (ˌɔːrɪˈɛntəl) /
(sometimes not capital) of or relating to the Orient
of or denoting a zoogeographical region consisting of southeastern Asia from India to Borneo, Java, and the Philippines
a breed of slender muscular cat with large ears, long legs, and a long tail
(sometimes not capital) an inhabitant, esp a native, of the Orient
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
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