Hispanic

adjective

His·​pan·​ic hi-ˈspa-nik 

1

: of, relating to, or being a native of Spanish-speaking Latin America or a descendant of such a person

Hispanic people/cultures

the Hispanic Caribbean

… Hispanic communities in and outside of Latin America.

—Angely Mercado

especially : of, relating to, or being Hispanic people living in the U.S.

the state's Hispanic voters

There is no monolithic Hispanic vote, in Texas or anywhere else.

—Tina Aviles

Hispanic residents of Broward and Palm Beach counties have backgrounds that are Cuban, Puerto Rican, Mexican and from many countries in Central and South America.

—Anthony Man

2

: of or relating to the people, speech, or culture of Spain

Hispanic noun

Hispanicism

hi-ˈspa-nə-ˌsi-zəm 

noun

Hispanicist

hi-ˈspa-nə-sist 

noun

Hispanicize

hi-ˈspa-nə-ˌsīz 

transitive verb

Examples of Hispanic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the third episode, Simon’s family hosts a birthday cookout in his childhood home, in the predominately Hispanic neighborhood of Pacoima, Los Angeles. — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026

Barletta ran for Pennsylvania governor in 2022, losing in the Republican primary, while Hazleton continued to become a heavily Hispanic city afterward, scrambling commentators’ brains as many of those residents chose to vote Republican. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026

This included grant programs for institutions that served Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Asian American, Native American, Pacific Island and Hispanic students. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Donalds’ Hispanic outreach director, Laura Roscoe, said the new ads are intended to reach a wide swath of Spanish-speaking voters in Florida. — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin hispanicus, from Hispania Iberian Peninsula, Spain

First Known Use

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing Hispanic

• non-Hispanic
• pre-Hispanic

Rhymes for Hispanic

• botanic
• brahmanic
• britannic
• galvanic
• germanic
• koranic
• mechanic
• organic
• puranic
• quranic
• romanic
• satanic

Kids Definition

Hispanic

adjective

His·​pan·​ic his-ˈpan-ik 

1

: of or relating to the people, culture, or speech of Spain

2

: of, relating to, or being a person living in the U.S. from or whose ancestors were from Latin America

Hispanic noun