Slavic

American  

[slah-vik, slav-ik] / ˈslɑ vɪk, ˈslæv ɪk /

noun

1. a branch of the Indo-European family of languages, usually divided into East Slavic (Russian, Ukrainian, Byelorussian), West Slavic (Polish, Czech, Slovak, Sorbian), and South Slavic (Old Church Slavonic, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian). Slav, Slav.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Slavs or their languages.

Slavic British  

/ ˈslɑːvɪk /

noun

1. another word (esp US) for Slavonic

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Other Word Forms

• anti-Slavic
  adjective
• non-Slavic
  adjective
• pro-Slavic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Slavic

First recorded in 1805–15; Slav + -ic

Example Sentences

Mr. Morson is a professor of Slavic literature at Northwestern University.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

In Friuli-Venezia Giulia, for example, Slavic and Austro-Hungarian influences show up in smoked meats, dumplings, and fermented flavors.

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2026

Baker: When I was looking for a name, I literally looked at names from the Slavic region.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2024

Speaking in English with a Slavic accent, “Olesya” offers a first-person account of how she and her colleagues initially worked in support of President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.

From New York Times • May 15, 2024

For example, Russia, once a small Slavic state centered on Moscow, did not even begin its expansion beyond the Ural Mountains until A.D.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond