Arabian

1 of 2

noun

Ara·​bi·​an ə-ˈrā-bē-ən 

1

: a native or inhabitant of Arabia

2

: arabian horse

Arabian

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of Arabia or the people of Arabia

Arabian music/art

Some people say the unicorn myth began long ago in the Arabian desert …

—Bet Hennefrund

… bad paintings of Arabian street scenes …

—Paul Karr et al.

These days the British are better acquainted with Arab customs, Arabian history, and the Arabic language, and with Arabs themselves, whose language we have been borrowing for six centuries.

—Philip Howard

… an exquisitely beautiful Arabian girl …

—Maurice Richardson

For authenticity, even the jockeys would be garbed in Arabian-type costumes.

—Carl Hiaasen

Arabian food includes a lot of spiced lamb and rice …

—Cleo Murphy

2

: of, relating to, involving, or being Arabian horses

… Thoroughbred, Morgan, and Arabian stallions …

—Alexander Fuller

Although dressage shows have been recognized by the American Horse Shows Association for only twenty years, they number just after hunter/jumper and Arabian competitions as the United States' third largest showing group.

—Wendy Insinger

Examples of Arabian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Houthi militants based in Yemen claimed to have struck two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea on Thursday, days after the group announced a naval blockade on Saudi ships. — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 23 July 2026

The ocean that originally separated the two plates, the Neo-Tethys, subducted under the Eurasian Plate like a conveyer belt, bringing the Arabian Plate into its modern-day position. — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 23 July 2026

Disruptions either side of the Arabian peninsula (see map below) are now creating the market perception of severely stunted export levels from the Middle East going into the second half of the trading year. — Gaurav Sharma, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026

Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea forced at least five vessels to reroute around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to avoid the danger zone. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Arabian

• Arabian horse
• Saudi Arabian

Rhymes for Arabian

• fabian

Kids Definition

Arabian

adjective

Ara·​bi·​an

ə-ˈrā-bē-ən

: of, relating to, or characteristic of Arabia or its people

Arabian noun