Tibetan

American  

[ti-bet-n] / tɪˈbɛt n /

Or Thibetan

adjective

1. of or relating to Tibet, its inhabitants, or their language.

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noun

1. a member of the people native to or inhabiting Tibet.

2. the Sino-Tibetan language of Tibet, especially in its standard literary form.

Tibetan British  

/ tɪˈbɛtən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Tibet, its people, or their language

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noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Tibet

2. the language of Tibet, belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family

Etymology

Origin of Tibetan

First recorded in 1740–50; Tibet + -an

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Tibetan

The 90-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has been based in India since fleeing the Tibetan capital Lhasa after Chinese troops crushed an uprising in 1959.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

“I want you to continue the struggle for Tibetan independence, because the lack of independence is the root of all our problems,” he was quoted as saying.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

When the BBC visited a monastery in July last year that had once been at heart of Tibetan resistance, monks spoke of living under fear and intimidation.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

A longtime supporter of Tibet and a convert to Buddhism, Gere has frequently met the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader accused by China of stoking separatism in the Himalayan region.

From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026

Jordan, a Tibetan spaniel, looks like a small, brown lion.

From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini