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; see origin at Russ, Russia, -an

Example Sentences

As Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives for talks with his counterpart Xi Jinping, here is what AFP knows about the proposed pipeline:

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

But Ukraine remains vulnerable to Russian ballistic missiles.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

Driver’s ex-cop knows the codes of cutting deals with the Russian mob; Teller’s engineer is the square who can’t grasp how doing things the right way just makes the situation worse.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

Russian energy sales are the "most stable" part of a political, military and economic relationship that has blossomed between the two countries in recent years, Korolev said.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

This was how “one, two, three” sounded in Russian.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood