Ethiopian

1 of 2

noun

Ethi·​o·​pi·​an ˌē-thē-ˈō-pē-ən 

1

: a native or inhabitant of Ethiopia

2

: a member of any of the mythical or actual peoples usually described by the ancient Greeks as dark-skinned and living far to the south

3

archaic : a Black person

Ethiopian

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the inhabitants or the country of Ethiopia

2

: of, relating to, or being the biogeographic region that includes Africa south of the Sahara, southern Arabia, and sometimes Madagascar and the adjacent islands

Examples of Ethiopian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Far from lumps of rock, the trojans, along with DJ and Dinkinesh (which is the Ethiopian name for the Lucy fossil), are windows into the past, and the storytellers of the Earth's most ancient history. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 19 June 2026

Uprising of the Sun by Ethiopian American artist Julie Mehretu is 83 feet tall and 25 feet wide, and marked her first time working with glass, according to the Obama Foundation. — Kyler Alvord, PEOPLE, 19 June 2026

Federal customs officials at Washington Dulles Airport seized 139 pounds of Ethiopian khat, a plant chewed for its amphetamine-like effect, that was destined for Sacramento. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026

All the while, orders poured in for thiebou jen, yassa guinar, dibi, mafe, and cold Ethiopian and Moroccan beers. — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 17 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

1557, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Ethiopian

• bupropion
• dystopian
• ectropion
• fallopian
• utopian