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• Scandinavian
  Scandinavian

  adjective

  of or relating to Scandinavia, its inhabitants, or their languages.
• scandinavian
  scandinavian

  adjective

  of, relating to, or characteristic of Scandinavia, its inhabitants, or their languages

Scandinavian

American  

[skan-duh-nay-vee-uhn] / ˌskæn dəˈneɪ vi ən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Scandinavia, its inhabitants, or their languages.

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noun

• Scandinavians
  plural

1. a native or inhabitant of Scandinavia.

2. the group of languages composed of Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Old Norse, Swedish, and the language of the Faeroe Islands; North Germanic. Scand, Scand.

scandinavian British  

/ ˌskændɪˈneɪvɪən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Scandinavia, its inhabitants, or their languages

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Scandinavia

2. Also: Norse. the northern group of Germanic languages, consisting of Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faeroese

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anti-Scandinavian
  adjective
• non-Scandinavian
  adjective
• pro-Scandinavian
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Scandinavians
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of Scandinavian

First recorded in 1775–85; Scandinavi(a) + -an

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Scandinavian Scandinavians

Votive deposits in Scandinavian wetlands were ways for local elites to mark their status, appease the gods and demarcate territory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Experts at Scandinavian national museums know that Vikings were a diverse group, far from the all-male warrior myth.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

She is a staunch defender of the Scandinavian country's famed welfare state, with an attitude that resonates with many Swedes, regularly topping opinion polls on the country's most trusted politicians.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

“You see this in Scandinavian countries, you see it in China where they mandated EVs and they put money behind it and the industry surged.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

Here, with a Scandinavian conquest, had sprung up a wooden long-house—there, the original stones of the curtain wall had been pulled down to build a round tower for priests.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Today, Scandinavians differ in their enthusiasm for this narrative.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

A few hundred yards up the road, there was an even bigger Danish corner, which came to include all types of Scandinavians in one giant collection of sunburns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

The two nations have almost identical populations, so how have the Scandinavians aced their plan of attack?

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

Famously stoic Scandinavians have cultivated concepts like "hygge" -- or coziness -- to get them through the long winter nights.

From Barron's ● Dec. 26, 2025

According to the Tribune, men and women, Greeks, Italians, Poles, and Scandinavians signed up to fill in.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

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