oriental
adjective
Usually Oriental
oriental
American
[awr-ee-en-tl]
/ ˌɔr iˈɛn tl /
adjective
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Usually Oriental
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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.
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Older Use: Often Disparaging and Offensive. (of a person or group of people) being from the East, typically East Asia; Asian.
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of the orient, or the eastern region of the world or heavens: stars in the oriental sky.
oriental countries;
stars in the oriental sky.
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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.
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Jewelry. Also Oriental
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designating various gems that are varieties of corundum.
oriental aquamarine;
oriental ruby.
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fine or precious; orient.
oriental agate;
oriental garnet.
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designating certain natural saltwater pearls found especially in Asia.
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noun
Oriental
1
British
/ ˌɔːrɪˈɛntəl /
adjective
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(sometimes not capital) of or relating to the Orient
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of or denoting a zoogeographical region consisting of southeastern Asia from India to Borneo, Java, and the Philippines
noun
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a breed of slender muscular cat with large ears, long legs, and a long tail
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(sometimes not capital) an inhabitant, esp a native, of the Orient
oriental
2
British
/ ˌɔːrɪˈɛntəl /
adjective
Sensitive Note
Is it Asian, Asiatic, or Oriental? See Asian.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Zaref Atool is a dark, heavy fragrance - very much what people expect from an oriental style.
From BBC • Nov. 29, 2024
The goal is to keep the oriental fruit fly from spreading to more crops while working to eliminate the pest.
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
It was strewn with oriental rugs of different sizes.
From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler
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.
