Russian

American  

[ruhsh-uhn] / ˈrʌʃ ən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Russia, its people, or their language.

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Russia.

2. a member of a Slavic people, the dominant ethnic group in the Russian Federation, whose historical homeland lies along the upper Volga and Oka rivers and adjacent areas.

3. the Slavic language of this people, written in the Cyrillic alphabet: the official language of Russia or the Russian Federation. Russ, Russ.

4. Informal. Russian dressing.

Russian British  

/ ˈrʌʃən /

noun

1. the official language of Russia: an Indo-European language belonging to the East Slavonic branch

2. the official language of the former Soviet Union

3. a native or inhabitant of Russia

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Russia, its people, or their language

Other Word Forms

• anti-Russian adjective
• half-Russian adjective
• non-Russian adjective
• pro-Russian adjective
• pseudo-Russian adjective
• semi-Russian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Russian

First recorded in 1530–40; from Medieval Latin Russiānus, derivative of Russia, Latinization of Old East Slavic Rusĭ; Russ, Russia, -an

Example Sentences

In a meeting with the Russian ambassador on March 31, the Equatorial Guinean vice president asked for Moscow's help to return Masie Nchama.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

Masie Nchama, a computer science student who dreamed of moving abroad, left the central African nation for military training but found himself forcibly enrolled in the Russian army and headed for war.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

Ukrainian and Russian authorities also announced they had each swapped 175 prisoners of war on Saturday, including seven civilians a piece.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

Physical chokepoints include waterways such as the Strait of Hormuz or the Bosporus and Dardanelles, which connect the Mediterranean to the Black Sea, and thus Russian and Ukrainian grain exports.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

Mom wrote books, taught illustration to college students, and picked up shifts at the Russian bakery.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn