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• Spanish American
  Spanish American

  noun

  a person of Latin American descent living in the U.S.
• Spanish-American
  Spanish-American

  adjective

  of or relating to any of the Spanish-speaking countries or peoples of the Americas

Spanish American

American  

[span-ish uh-mer-i-kuhn] / ˈspæn ɪʃ əˈmɛr ɪ kən /

noun

1. a person of Latin American descent living in the U.S.

2. a person of Spanish descent living in the U.S.

3. a native or inhabitant of a Spanish American country.

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adjective

1. noting or relating to the parts of America where Spanish is the prevailing language.

2. of or relating to the natives or inhabitants of Spanish America, especially those of Spanish descent.

3. of or relating to persons of Latin American descent living in the U.S.

4. of or relating to persons of Spanish descent living in the U.S.

5. Spanish-American, occurring between Spain and America, often between Spain and the United States.

   an example of Spanish-American cooperation.

Spanish-American British  

adjective

1. of or relating to any of the Spanish-speaking countries or peoples of the Americas

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Spanish America

2. a Spanish-speaking person in the US

Grammar

There is some variation in the hyphenation of compound adjectives when those adjectives describe nationalities, ethnicities, or geographical origins. In general, English will hyphenate compound adjectives, but not compound nouns that contain the same elements. For example, members of the middle class may aspire to homeownership in a nice, middle-class neighborhood. Following that logic, compound nouns describing nationality or ethnicity are never hyphenated (a Mexican American ), but compound adjectives would be (a Mexican-American senator). Some writers do adhere to this distinction and will hyphenate compound adjectives of national or ethnic origin. However, many style guides make an exception to the rule of adjectival hyphenation for this class of words and omit the unifying hyphen. She is married to an Israeli American . He is an Israeli American entrepreneur. The capitalization of the constituent elements aids in their recognition as a single meaningful unit, and the absence of the hyphen in these compounds minimizes sociopolitical connotations for some speakers and audiences. Though the adjectival hyphen in geographical compounds meaning "and" or "both" may be omitted, the hyphen is not optional when it indicates a relationship "between" the two elements of the compound. That is, you may enjoy Spanish American cuisine, but the war between Spain and the United States in the 19th century is known as the Spanish-American War. Your neighbor may be an Asian American professor, but if she studies the economic relationship between China and the United States, she is taking an interest in Asian-American trade.

Etymology

Origin of Spanish American

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

Roosevelt employed Mahan’s theories as assistant secretary of the Navy during the Spanish-American War in 1898, when the U.S. seized Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and more.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

The U.S. wouldn’t take control of Cuba until 1898 and the Spanish-American War— Remember the Maine!—when the U.S. also claimed Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and more.

From Barron's • Jan. 18, 2026

In “Splendid Liberators,” a chronicle of the Spanish-American War and its aftermath, Joe Jackson makes the case that the conflict set the original American Century in motion and, in his view, not for the better.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025

Bad Bunny was born in 1994 in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated U.S. territory that the country acquired after the 1898 Spanish-American War.

From Salon • Oct. 17, 2025

“But it was Theodore Roosevelt and the war was the Spanish-American War.”

From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson