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• African American
  African American

  noun

  an American with Black African ancestry.
• African-American
  African-American

  noun

  an American of African descent

African American

American  

[af-ri-kuhn uh-mer-i-kuhn] / ˈæf rɪ kən əˈmɛr ɪ kən /

Sometimes Aframerican

noun

1. an American with Black African ancestry.

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adjective

1. of or relating to African Americans.

2. African-American, occurring between the United States and Africa.

   Several international charities are promoting African-American cooperation in expanding access to safe drinking water.

African-American British  

noun

1. an American of African descent

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adjective

1. of or relating to Americans of African descent

Usage

During the 1980s, many Americans sought to display pride in their immigrant origins. Linguistically, this brought about a brief period of short-form hyphenated designations, like Italo-Americans and Greco-Americans. The Black community also embraced the existing term Afro-American, a label that emphasized geographical or ethnic heritage over skin color. The related label, African American, also saw an increase in use among activists in the 1970s and 1980s. African American was even more widely adopted in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s after high-profile Black leaders advocated for it, arguing, as Jesse Jackson did, that the term brought “proper historical context” and had “cultural integrity.” See Black ¹.

This is the currently preferred term in the US for people of African ancestry

Etymology

Origin of African American

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

African American African-American

Montgomery, the state capital, is over 60% African American.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

The work features four vocal soloists who represent Native American, Sephardic, African American and Protestant religious traditions, along with instrumental music based on early American hymn tunes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

In our Valley Stream, Long Island home, my youthful 80-year-old, African American mother and I — her Gen X son and facial clone — comment on each episode like armchair judges.

From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026

The crew will be rounded out by African American Andre Douglas and US astronaut of Salvadoran descent Frank Rubio.

From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026

“All of Jackson’s servants were African American slaves who had worked under Mrs. Jackson’s management probably for the better part of their lives,” says Seale.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

"His background is everything - European, African-American, Hispanic and indigenous as well," he says.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

“We’re doing very well with the Black jobs, African-American jobs,” he said.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

“House” was first heard in a short-lived 1942 revue titled “Let Freedom Sing” but was then performed by an African-American vocal group, the Delta Rhythm Boys.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

In September 1925 a young African-American physician, Ossian Sweet, moved into the home he and his wife had recently purchased on Garland Street in Detroit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

The court case was about Linda Brown, an eight-year-old African-American girl from Topeka, Kansas, who lived four blocks from an elementary school, but because she was African-American, she was unable to enroll there.

From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals