: 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
Rich Karlgaard, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Out of towners may be incredulous about Charlotte’s Chinese food scene, but tens of thousands of Asian Charlotteans know where to go — they just might be tightlipped about it.
—Shindy Chen, Charlotte Observer, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Asian
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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
This number, an accepted consensus derived from World Bank and Asian Development Bank data, includes roughly 700 million from China, and 400 million from Southeast Asia.
—Rich Karlgaard, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Out of towners may be incredulous about Charlotte’s Chinese food scene, but tens of thousands of Asian Charlotteans know where to go — they just might be tightlipped about it.
—Shindy Chen, Charlotte Observer, 5 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 14 Sep. 2025.
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