Dalmatian

1 of 2

noun

Dal·​ma·​tian dal-ˈmā-shən 

plural Dalmatians

1

or less commonly dalmatian : any of a breed of medium-sized dogs having a white short-haired coat with many black or brown spots

2

: a native or inhabitant of Dalmatia

3

: a Romance language developed from colloquial Latin and extinct by the late 19th century that was spoken on the Dalmatian coast and Adriatic islands

Illustration of Dalmatian

• dalmatian 1

Dalmatian

2 of 2

adjective

: of or relating to Dalmatia (a region of the western Balkan Peninsula on the Adriatic Sea) or its people

Examples of Dalmatian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Little Shadows serves as the production company in association with Hello Moon, Ford Films, This is Swington, Dalmatian Cow, and Baked Studios. — Brent Lang, Variety, 11 July 2026

The medieval island is located off Croatia's Dalmatian coast and is nicknamed 'Black Corfu' by ancient Greeks due to the island's dense forests. — Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Originally more than 22,965 feet long, the ancient walls wind over the hillsides, offering stunning views of the Dalmatian countryside and the 4,000-year-old salt pans below. — Tia Lovisa Moreira, Travel + Leisure, 2 July 2026

The food is serious, the wine is local, and what started as an unlikely concept has quietly become one of the hardest reservations to get on the entire Dalmatian coast. — Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 21 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

(sense 1) from the supposed origin of the breed in Dalmatia

First Known Use

Noun

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

circa 1684, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Dalmatian

• ablation
• aeration
• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation

Kids Definition

dalmatian

noun

dal·​ma·​tian dal-ˈmā-shən 

often capitalized

: any of a breed of dogs that have a white short-haired coat with many black or brown spots