Inuit

noun

In·​u·​it ˈi-n(y)ü-wət 

variants or less commonly Innuit

1

plural Inuit or Inuits also Innuit or Innuits

a

: a group of Indigenous peoples of northern Alaska, arctic Canada, and Greenland

—used especially for those of the Canadian Arctic and Greenland

Note: In Canada, the name Inuit refers to one of three major, legally recognized groups of aboriginal peoples, the other two being the First Nations and the Métis.

see also inuk

b

: a member of such people

2

: any of the languages of the Inuit

Usage of Eskimo and Inuit

Eskimo is a word that presents challenges for anyone who is concerned about avoiding the use of offensive language. Its offensiveness stems partly from a now-discredited belief that it was originally a pejorative term meaning "eater of raw flesh," but perhaps more significantly from its being a word imposed on aboriginal peoples by outsiders. It has long been considered a word to be avoided in Canada, where native people refer to themselves as Inuit, a word that means "people" in their language. But not all the native people who are referred to as Eskimos are Inuit. Eskimo has no exact synonym; it has a general meaning that encompasses a number of indigenous peoples, and it continues for now in widespread use in many parts of the English-speaking world.

Examples of Inuit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In Canada, 5% of the population identifies as Indigenous — First Nation, Métis or Inuit — yet researchers say they were disproportionately affected by wildfires because their communities often are isolated and in some of the most fire-prone areas, like the boreal forest. —Time, 23 Aug. 2023

In Inuit and Eskimo populations, during the 1970s, myopia incidence increased from 5 percent to more than 60 percent prevalence in the span of one generation. —Amit Katwala, WIRED, 22 Aug. 2023

Drums are the only musical instruments common to all cultures in the world, from the Inuit people in the Arctic to the Tuareg nomads in the Sahara Desert, from the Bora tribes in the Amazon jungle to the Maasai people in East Africa. —Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 July 2023

In Canada, 5% of the population identifies as Indigenous — First Nation, Métis or Inuit — with an even smaller percentage living in predominantly Indigenous communities. —Tammy Webber and Noah Berger, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2023

That corresponds to how people count in Iñupiaq as well as other Inuit and Yup’ik languages, and often makes math more intuitive to students. —Alena Naiden, Anchorage Daily News, 25 June 2023

With Canada’s military refashioning its relations with the Inuit by tapping into local knowledge, Canadian soldiers are heading north better prepared for the patrols, according to Inuit rangers. —Norimitsu Onishi Nasuna Stuart-Ulin, New York Times, 4 June 2023

Another scene will feature Inuit people on North American ice during a midwinter day with walruses resting on ice floes, as well as storytelling about hunting and ice fishing. —Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 9 May 2023

The Alaskan Inuit language, known as Iñupiaq, uses an oral counting system built around the human body. —Amory Tillinghast-Raby, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Inuit inuit, plural of inuk person

First Known Use

1745, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

Inuit

noun

In·​u·​it ˈi-n(y)ü-wət 

variants also Innuit

1

pl Inuit or Inuits also Innuit or Innuits

a

: any of a number of groups of indigenous peoples of northern Alaska, arctic Canada, and Greenland

—used especially of those of the Canadian Arctic and Greenland

b

: a member of such people

2

: any of the languages of the Inuit