Libyan

noun

Lib·​y·​an ˈli-bē-ən 

1

: a native or inhabitant of Libya

2

: a language of ancient North Africa probably ancestral to Berber dialects

Libyan adjective

Examples of Libyan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Located near Europe’s southernmost town of Ierapetra, the resort, which opened in 2021, organizes horseback riding sessions on its secluded beach facing the Libyan Sea. — Yulia Denisyuk, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2026

Attackers at his home Seif al-Islam, 53, was killed on Tuesday inside his home in the town of Zintan, 85 miles southwest of the capital, Tripoli, according to Libyan’s chief prosecutor’s office. — Yousef Murad, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026

Current efforts to try to drive a wedge between Moscow and Libyan National Army Commander Khalifa Haftar, who controls the parts of Libya that house Russian military assets, will not suffice. — Hanna Notte, Foreign Affairs, 27 Feb. 2025

In the east, Khalifa Hifter heads a coalition of factions and irregular fighters known as the Libyan National Army, or LNA. — Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023

Derna is controlled by the Libyan National Army, run by Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter and based in the eastern city of Tobruk. — Patrick Smith, NBC News, 14 Sep. 2023

And more than 5,000 to 6,000 were missing because of floods in the city, apparently caused by the collapse of dams above Derna, said a spokesman for the Libyan National Army that controls eastern Libya, according to The Associated Press. — Isabella Kwai, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2023

Today, the Giza pyramids wear the tawny tones of their surrounding Libyan Desert. — Rebecca James, Architectural Digest, 3 Apr. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Libyan

• amphibian
• caribbean