: of, relating to, or characteristic of the continent of Asia or its people
Asian vs. Asiatic: Usage Guide
Asian is now solidly preferred to Asiatic; the latter persists mainly in the names of some kinds of flora and fauna.
an Asiatic lily
the Asiatic elephant
Asiatic still has some use as a geographical designator
the Asiatic side of the Bosporus
but has increasingly been considered offensive, especially as associated with the policies of colonialism.
1
: a native or inhabitant of Asia
2
: a person of Asian descent
Examples of Asian in a Sentence
Noun
There are many Asians living in South America.
Recent Examples on the Web
Rich Karlgaard, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Those athletes are the two most recent Olympic javelin champions, the first men to do so from Asian countries.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Anniek Bao, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2025
Since their debut, they have been nominated for and won numerous music awards, both domestically and internationally, including the MTV Video Music Awards, MAMA Awards, Asian Artist Awards, and the Seoul Music Awards.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Asian
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Adjective
Here’s my pick of five of the most significant Asian tech stories in the past 20 years.
—Rich Karlgaard, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Those athletes are the two most recent Olympic javelin champions, the first men to do so from Asian countries.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
China is the largest shareholder of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, that was launched in 2014 to fund projects in developing nations as a direct challenge to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2025
Since their debut, they have been nominated for and won numerous music awards, both domestically and internationally, including the MTV Video Music Awards, MAMA Awards, Asian Artist Awards, and the Seoul Music Awards.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Asian
Cite this Entry
“Asian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Asian. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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