Palestinian

American  

[pal-uh-stin-ee-uhn] / ˌpæl əˈstɪn i ən /

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Palestine.

2. Also called Palestinian Arab.  an Arab formerly living in Palestine who advocates the establishment of an Arab homeland there.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to Palestine or Palestinians.

2. of or relating to Palestinian Arabs.

   Palestinian guerrillas.

Palestinian British  

/ ˌpælɪˈstɪnɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Palestine

---

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of the former British mandate, or their descendants, esp such Arabs now living in the Palestinian Administered Territories, Jordan, Lebanon, or Israel, or as refugees from Israeli-occupied territory

Etymology

Origin of Palestinian

Palestin(e) + -ian

Example Sentences

A few hundred people thrashed to a performance by the Irish rap group Kneecap, one of whose members wore a kaffiyeh — the scarf symbolizing Palestinian nationalism.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

Like Enchassi, Ahmad was in his early 30s and had grown up in the Middle East as a Palestinian refugee.

From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026

In the episode, David is caught between a delicious new Palestinian chicken restaurant, a Palestinian girlfriend and an outraged inner circle of Jewish friends.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026

Last week, a Hamas delegation met Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators in Cairo to give its initial response to a proposal from the US-led Board of Peace for Palestinian groups to decommission their weapons.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

Liyana didn’t wear necklaces herself, but selected a turquoise one strung with antique Palestinian coins.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye