Melanesian
noun
Mel·a·ne·sian
ˌme-lə-ˈnē-zhən 
-shən
1
: a member of the dominant native group of Melanesia
2
: a language group consisting of the Austronesian languages of Melanesia
Melanesian
adjective
Examples of Melanesian in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On December 2, Vanuatu and the Melanesian Spearhead Group opened the hearings giving, in essence, an opening argument.
—
Jon McGowan, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
Vanuatu and the Melanesian Spearhead Group were given one hour to make an opening statement.
—Jon McGowan, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
Set in the warm waters of the southwest Pacific, some 1,500 km (930 miles) east of Australia, New Caledonia is home to 270,000 people, including 41% Melanesian Kanaks and 24% of European origin, mostly French.
—Gabriel Stargardter, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2024
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Jon McGowan, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
Vanuatu and the Melanesian Spearhead Group were given one hour to make an opening statement.
—Jon McGowan, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
Set in the warm waters of the southwest Pacific, some 1,500 km (930 miles) east of Australia, New Caledonia is home to 270,000 people, including 41% Melanesian Kanaks and 24% of European origin, mostly French.
—Gabriel Stargardter, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2024
Cite this Entry
“Melanesian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Melanesian. Accessed 16 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Melanesian
noun
Mel·a·ne·sian
ˌmel-ə-ˈnē-zhən
-shən
: a member of the most numerous Indigenous group of Melanesia
Melanesian
adjective
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