: a Semitic language originally of the Arabs of the Hejaz and Nejd that is now the prevailing speech of a wide region of southwestern Asia and northern Africa
1
: of, relating to, or constituting the language Arabic
… Arabic neologisms of the nineteenth century …—
Bernard Lewis
Bernard LewisHis bibliography contains no classical Arabic texts and only a handful of dubiously transliterated recent Arabic titles …—Pierre Cachia
Pierre Cachia… edited and reviewed by Arabic scholars in Paris …—Edwin McDowell
Edwin McDowell2
: expressed in or utilizing Arabic numerals
21 is an Arabic number.
Arabic notation
3
: of, relating to, or characteristic of Arabia or the Arabs
As Arabic music permeates various other sounds, so are western sounds finding their way into various Arabic musics.—Hank Bordowitz
Hank BordowitzThe Middle East meets the Wild West in this variation on Arabic hummus.—Steven Raichlen
Steven RaichlenThere still exist some folk instruments in Portugal whose names indicate their Arabic origin.—Alexander Buchner
Alexander BuchnerExamples of Arabic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kareem Khadder, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2025
Checkers of my era—their number grew from twenty to twenty-five during my three-year tenure—collectively spoke fifteen languages, including Urdu, Cantonese, Japanese, Arabic, Greek, Russian, and Twi, with a working knowledge of ancient Greek and Latin.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Aya Batrawy, NPR, 12 Aug. 2025
Among them was prominent Arabic correspondent and frontline news reporter Anas al-Sharif, who — alongside Bisan Owda — received Amnesty International’s Human Rights Defender Award in December of last year.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Arabic
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Noun
At the time, Abu Dagga worked for the Independent Arabic.
—Kareem Khadder, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2025
Checkers of my era—their number grew from twenty to twenty-five during my three-year tenure—collectively spoke fifteen languages, including Urdu, Cantonese, Japanese, Arabic, Greek, Russian, and Twi, with a working knowledge of ancient Greek and Latin.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
These scenes brought the father of two to tears on camera recently, but Israel's Arabic military spokesman released his own video after, accusing him of pretending to be pained and promoting Hamas propaganda.
—Aya Batrawy, NPR, 12 Aug. 2025
Among them was prominent Arabic correspondent and frontline news reporter Anas al-Sharif, who — alongside Bisan Owda — received Amnesty International’s Human Rights Defender Award in December of last year.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Arabic
Cite this Entry
“Arabic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Arabic. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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