mestizo
noun
mes·ti·zo
me-ˈstē-(ˌ)zō 
plural mestizos
: a person of mixed blood
specifically
: a person of mixed European and Indigenous American ancestry compare mestiza
Examples of mestizo in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Is there a risk that this conception of Latino identity as mestizo replicates mainstream Latino erasure of Black or Indigenous people who don’t identify as mixed?
—
Jean Guerrero, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2023
The expedition, composed of a young Chilean mestizo, an American mercenary, and led by a reckless British lieutenant, soon turns into a ‘civilizing’ raid.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 May 2023
Creoles, the descendants of enslaved Africans, make up roughly 24 percent of today’s population, while the majority of Belizeans are Spanish-speaking mestizo, a mixture of Maya and Spanish.
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 7 May 2022
The story of The Settlers follows three horsemen — a young Chilean mestizo, an American mercenary, and led by a reckless British lieutenant — hired by a wealthy Chilean landowner to mark out the perimeter of his extensive property and open a route to the Atlantic Ocean across vast Patagonia.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
In time, many conquistadors married Taíno women, combining the genes of the New World and Old World to create a new mestizo, or mixed, population, which took on Creole characteristics with the arrival of African slaves in the 16th century.
—Robert M. Poole, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Oct. 2011
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Jean Guerrero, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2023
The expedition, composed of a young Chilean mestizo, an American mercenary, and led by a reckless British lieutenant, soon turns into a ‘civilizing’ raid.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 May 2023
Creoles, the descendants of enslaved Africans, make up roughly 24 percent of today’s population, while the majority of Belizeans are Spanish-speaking mestizo, a mixture of Maya and Spanish.
—Graham Averill, Outside Online, 7 May 2022
The story of The Settlers follows three horsemen — a young Chilean mestizo, an American mercenary, and led by a reckless British lieutenant — hired by a wealthy Chilean landowner to mark out the perimeter of his extensive property and open a route to the Atlantic Ocean across vast Patagonia.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
In time, many conquistadors married Taíno women, combining the genes of the New World and Old World to create a new mestizo, or mixed, population, which took on Creole characteristics with the arrival of African slaves in the 16th century.
—Robert M. Poole, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Oct. 2011
Cite this Entry
“Mestizo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mestizo. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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mestizo
noun
mes·ti·zo
me-ˈstē-zō
plural mestizos
: a person having mixed European and Indigenous American ancestors
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