American Indian

noun

plural American Indians

sometimes offensive; see usage paragraph below

: a member of any of the Indigenous peoples of the western hemisphere except often certain peoples (such as the Yupik and Inuit) who live in arctic regions

especially : an Indigenous person of North America and especially the U.S.

American Indian adjective sometimes offensive

Usage of Indian and American Indian

Due to its origin as a misnomer, its history of use by white colonizers, and its tendency to negate distinctions between Indigenous peoples, sense 2a of Indian is often considered offensive when used by a non-Indigenous person. The related term American Indian is sometimes considered offensive, but is more widely accepted than Indian. Suggested alternatives for both of these terms include Native American, Native/Indigenous/aboriginal person, and the nouns Native and First People. (See also First Nation, Inuit, and Métis.)That said, any of these names may be considered inappropriate or disrespectful where a more specific group designation (such as the name of a particular Indigenous nation) could be used instead. In such contexts, the usual recommendation is to use the group name that is preferred by the group or member being identified. The word Indian still appears in some official U.S. government titles, such as "Bureau of Indian Affairs" and "Indian Child Welfare Act." Similarly, the term American Indian appears throughout official U.S. government writing for and about Indigenous American peoples.

Examples of American Indian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ahniwake Rose, president of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, said there are several unanswered questions about how funding for Tribal Colleges and Universities, or TCUs, that previously went through one department will now go through several different ones. —Graham Lee Brewer, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2025

North America’s oldest and largest two-spirit powwow belongs to Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS), a two-spirit advocacy group that hosted its first Two-Spirit Powwow in 2012. —Matt Alderton, USA Today, 18 Nov. 2025

Data show that Black, Hispanic, American Indian, Alaska Native and Asian adults report higher levels of unfair treatment when seeking health care. —Lisa Vernon-Sparks, Charlotte Observer, 10 Nov. 2025

Suicide rates were continuously highest among American Indian or Alaska Native people, but those rates did decline 15 percent between 2021 and 2023. —Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for American Indian

• amerindian

Kids Definition

American Indian

noun

: a member of any of the Indigenous peoples of the western hemisphere except often certain peoples (as the Yupik and Inuit) who live in arctic regions

especially : an American Indian of North America and especially the U.S.

American Indian adjective