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• Westerner
  Westerner

  noun

  a native or inhabitant of the West, especially of the western U.S.
• westerner
  westerner

  noun

  (sometimes capital) a native or inhabitant of the west of any specific region, esp of the western states of the US or of the western hemisphere

Westerner

American  

[wes-ter-ner] / ˈwɛs tər nər /

noun

(sometimes lowercase)

1. a native or inhabitant of the West, especially of the western U.S.

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westerner British  

/ ˈwɛstənə /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) a native or inhabitant of the west of any specific region, esp of the western states of the US or of the western hemisphere

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Other Word Forms

• anti-Westerner
  noun
• pro-Westerner
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of Westerner

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40; western + -er ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Westerner westerner

Through interviews, legal analysis, and archival research, the mild-mannered Westerner emerges as the court’s most unpredictable—and most important—sitting justice.

From Slate ● May 13, 2026

For Dang, having a Westerner on board could help attract more money, a person familiar with the situation said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 20, 2025

Harila rejected claims made by Austrian climber Wilhelm Steindl that more would have been done if a Westerner had been hurt on the mountain.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 13, 2023

"I'm not a Westerner, I'm a Chinese traditionalist," he says with a laugh.

From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2021

The African sense of immediate family is far different from that of the European or Westerner.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

She said she didn't see Carney, who spent much of the last decade away from Canada but was raised in Edmonton, Alberta's capital, as a westerner.

From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2025

"What they taught was so defined by Tibetan history and culture that I increasingly found the practices and so forth didn’t mesh with my yearnings, my longings, my needs as a westerner."

From Scientific American ● Oct. 29, 2017

“As a westerner, Ryan understands the challenges of having the federal government as your largest neighbor and I couldn’t think of a better fit for Secretary of the Interior.”

From Slate ● Dec. 14, 2016

“He is also a westerner, and he is attuned to our values.”

From The Guardian ● Apr. 16, 2016

Maybe I’m a wild and woolly westerner from Denver, but believe me! we westerners never stand around waiting for a bit to be forced between our teeth.”

From Polly's Business Venture by Lillian Elizabeth Roy

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