Jump To:

• oriental
  oriental

  adjective

  Usually Oriental
• Oriental
  Oriental

  adjective

  (sometimes not capital) of or relating to the Orient

oriental

American  

[awr-ee-en-tl] / ˌɔr iˈɛn tl /

adjective

1. Usually Oriental

   1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Orient or the East, typically East Asia; Eastern.

      The living room had a gorgeous Oriental rug.

      In the late 1950s, the university began offering degrees in Oriental philosophy.

   2. Older Use: Often Disparaging and Offensive. (of a person or group of people) being from the East, typically East Asia; Asian.

2. of the orient, or the eastern region of the world or heavens: stars in the oriental sky.

   oriental countries;

   stars in the oriental sky.

3. Zoogeography. Oriental, belonging to a geographical division comprising southern Asia and the Malay Archipelago as far as and including the Philippines, Borneo, and Java.

   This genera has twelve Oriental species, and two Australian ones.

4. Jewelry. Also Oriental

   1. designating various gems that are varieties of corundum.

      oriental aquamarine;

      oriental ruby.

   2. fine or precious; orient.

      oriental agate;

      oriental garnet.

   3. designating certain natural saltwater pearls found especially in Asia.

---

noun

• orientals
  plural

1. Older Use: Usually Disparaging and Offensive. Usually Oriental a native or inhabitant of the Orient, or East.

Oriental ¹ British  

/ ˌɔːrɪˈɛntəl /

adjective

1. (sometimes not capital) of or relating to the Orient

2. of or denoting a zoogeographical region consisting of southeastern Asia from India to Borneo, Java, and the Philippines

---

noun

1. a breed of slender muscular cat with large ears, long legs, and a long tail

2. (sometimes not capital) an inhabitant, esp a native, of the Orient

oriental ² British  

/ ˌɔːrɪˈɛntəl /

adjective

1. another word for eastern Compare occidental

---

Sensitive Note

Is it Asian, Asiatic, or Oriental? See Asian.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anti-Oriental
  adjective
• half-oriental
  adjective
• nonoriental
  adjective
• pseudooriental
  adjective
• quasi-oriental
  adjective
• semioriental
  adjective
• unoriental
  adjective
• orientally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• orientals
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of oriental

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin orientālis, from orient-, stem of oriēns “the east, sunrise,” literally, “rising” + -ālis, adjective suffix; equivalent to orient + -al ¹

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

oriental Oriental orientals

Female oriental fruit flies contaminate fruit by laying eggs inside it, according to the California Department Food and Agriculture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2024

The pollen grains of various common plants like sunflower, morning glories, prairie hollyhock, oriental lily, evening primrose and castor bean — magnified 500 times and colorized in this image — display intricate patterns.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2022

Inside the city’s mesmerizing acropolis, French-Iranian oriental dancer Rana Gorgani twirled to Ghraichy’s piano playing.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 18, 2022

Besides new walnut furniture and flat-screen TVs, rooms boast luxury linens, oriental carpets, chaise lounges, retro mini refrigerators, custom wardrobes and upscale bathrooms.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 20, 2021

The very fancy oriental rug covering the wooden floor and the slate flagstones of the hearth only served to make the room seem even more imposing.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

“It’s very hard for people to accept that the Oriental carpet they bought now will have only $100 or $200 worth of value,” she said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

Find its seasonal pop-up shop inside the Mandarin Oriental.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

One particularly active fake profile used the name "Kevin Zhang", claiming to be the head of a fictitious Hong Kong-based firm called "Oriental Consulting", the security source told AFP.

From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026

"Some buildings were reported to have been damaged," Edwin Jubahib, governor of Davao Oriental province, told Philippine broadcaster DZMM.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2025

"Otis Amber says that old man Westing's stinking corpse is rotting on an Oriental rug."

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

In fact, the ebb and flow of florals and orientals is part of a dialectic over 400 years old.

From New York Times ● May 10, 2021

True pearls, or "orientals," are formed in oysters by the deposition of concentric layers of nacre, an iridescent substance, around a microbe or some other irritant.

From Time Magazine Archive

Secrecy surpassed itself when the League Secretariat officially announced that Chinese Delegate Dr. Sze and Japanese Delegate Mr. Yoshizawa had agreed to a "truce"'-whereupon both orientals denied the official announcement.

From Time Magazine Archive

The main bulk of the writings of Bahá’u’lláh however are to be found in manuscript form written by noted scribes after the fashion of orientals.

From Unfolding Destiny by Shoghi Effendi

The troops of these Mohammedan princes were in the highest reputation for bravery, and though, composed of many different nations, were known among the orientals by one common name.

From The Lusiad or The Discovery of India, an Epic Poem by Luís de Camões

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---