Australian

1 of 2

adjective

Aus·​tra·​lian ȯ-ˈstrāl-yən 

ä-,

ə-

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the continent or commonwealth of Australia, its inhabitants, or the languages spoken there

2

: of, relating to, or being a biogeographic region that comprises Australia, the islands north of it from Celebes eastward, Tasmania, New Zealand, and Polynesia

Australian

2 of 2

noun

1

: a native or inhabitant of the Australian commonwealth

2

: a group of about 200 languages spoken by the aboriginal inhabitants of Australia

Examples of Australian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Billed as Japan’s biggest defense export deal since World War II, Australia will pay $6 billion (10 billion Australian dollars) over the next 10 years to acquire the fleet of stealth frigates. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2025

An Australian study of electric dirt bike injuries found that most patients required ambulance transport and over a quarter sustained fractures. —Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025

Noun

The figure represents the largest payout ever at a Grand Slam, significantly better than the reward at the sport’s other three majors: Wimbledon’s $4 million, the French Open’s $3 million and the Australian Open’s $2.2 million (using the current exchange rates). —Sofia Chierchio, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025

According to an annual report released by Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), from Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024, the country saw 2,062 anti-Jewish incidents. —Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1795, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1693, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Australian

• Australian ballot
• Australian cattle dog
• Australian pine
• Australian Rules football
• Australian shepherd
• Australian terrier

Rhymes for Australian

• deucalion
• pygmalion

Kids Definition

Australian

adjective

Aus·​tra·​lian

ȯ-ˈstrāl-yən,

ä-

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