West Indian

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adjective

of or relating to the West Indies, its inhabitants, or their language or culture

native to or derived from the West Indies

noun

a native or inhabitant of the West Indies

a person of West Indian descent

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

usage for West Indian

Using West Indian to refer to people of this ancestry living in Britain may cause offence. Possible alternatives are Black and Afro-Caribbean

Words nearby West Indian

West Hempstead, West Highland, West Highland white terrier, West Hollywood, Westie, West Indian, West Indian cedar, West Indies, West Indies Associated States, westing, Westinghouse

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use West Indian in a sentence

Rudy, a 42-year-old West Indian-born man in the Bronx, New York, was also denied custody of his daughter.
One Breakdown Can Mean Losing Your Kid Forever|ProPublica|May 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the African-American and West Indian students saw things with different eyes.
The Cost: What Stop and Frisk Does to a Young Man’s Soul|Rilla Askew|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Two different versions.The boycott of Korean grocers by the black community in the West Indian district was in full sway.
The Cost: What Stop and Frisk Does to a Young Man’s Soul|Rilla Askew|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One hundred percent of the blood currently boiling in my body is West Indian.
Volkswagen’s Super Bowl Ad an Unfunny Slight to Culture|Pia Glenn|January 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST

It may be that the Spanish authorities regarded the West Indian trade as a commercial system rather than as a means of revenue.
The Eve of the Revolution|Carl Becker
Mr. Vincent, who had all the West Indian love for magnificence, had upon this occasion an extremely handsome equipage.
Tales And Novels, Volume 3 (of 10)|Maria Edgeworth
Anime, an′im, n. the resin of the West Indian locust-tree—used also for other gums and resins.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various
At Constantinople the plague always rages; and in the West Indian islands, malignant fevers, and the most terrible colics.
The Book of Curiosities|I. Platts
The little West Indian will not talk of choosing a profession, any more than the infant Portuguese will ask for books.
How to Observe|Harriet Martineau