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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

Etymology

Origin of Westerner

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

Example Sentences

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

“There is a double standard here. If I or any other Westerner had been lying there, everything would have been done to save them,” Steindl said.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 12, 2023

The standard explanation is that Gorsuch is a Westerner who spent his childhood in Colorado and his lower court career adjudicating many “Indian law” cases on the U.S.

From Slate • Jun. 15, 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