Rastafarian

American  

[ras-tuh-fair-ee-uhn, -fahr-, rah-stuh-] / ˌræs təˈfɛər i ən, -ˈfɑr-, ˌrɑ stə- /

noun

1. a follower of Rastafarianism.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Rastafarianism or Rastafarians.

Rastafarian British  

/ ˌræstəˈfɛərɪən /

noun

1. a member of an originally Jamaican religion that regards Ras Tafari (the former emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie) as God

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adjective

1. of, characteristic of, or relating to the Rastafarians

Etymology

Origin of Rastafarian

First recorded in 1935; from Amharic ras täfäri “Prince Tafari,” the pre-coronation name of Haile Selassie ( ras “prince,” originally, “head”; täfäri an Amharic personal name, literally, “(one to be) feared, respected,” present participle from passive stem of the verb färra “fear, respect”) + -an

Example Sentences

So he printed out a physical copy of a binding appeals court decision from 2017 that prohibited prisons from compelling Rastafarian inmates to cut their hair.

From Slate • Jun. 23, 2026

The decision came in the case of a devout Rastafarian in Louisiana.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026

Landor told a guard there that he was Rastafarian and shared a copy of a ruling in which a court of appeals found that cutting the hair of a Rastafarian in prison violated RLUIPA.

From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026

He handed the intake officer a copy of a ruling by the Fifth Circuit Appeals Court, which held that federal law requires accommodating Rastafarian inmates.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025

Even if Anise doesn’t like Kalinda or any other Rastafarian, it’s clear that everyone in this school will soon want to be Kalinda’s friend, and so Anise must get to her first.

From "Hurricane Child" by Kheryn Callender