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

Damon Landor is a Rastafarian who followed a vow, based in the Old Testament book of Numbers, not to cut his hair.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025

Damon Landor, the petitioner, wore long dreadlocks for almost 20 years as an expression of his beliefs as a Rastafarian – part of a biblical practice known as the “Nazarite vow.”

From Salon • Nov. 9, 2025

When the case reached the Fifth Circuit, the same court that had ruled that the law protected Rastafarian prisoners’ dreadlocks, a different three-judge panel said that “we emphatically condemn the treatment that Landor endured.”

From New York Times • May 13, 2024

But moviegoers from a wide range turned out for the first big-screen biopic of the Rastafarian legend.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 18, 2024

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