occidental

adjective, often capitalized

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oc·ci·den·tal | \ ˌäk-sə-ˈden-tᵊl

Definition of occidental

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : of, relating to, or situated in the Occident : western

2 : of or relating to Occidentals

Occidental

noun

Definition of Occidental (Entry 2 of 2)

: a member of one of the occidental peoples especially : a person of European ancestry

Other Words from occidental The Latin Origins of Oriental and Occidental Example Sentences Learn More About occidental

Examples of occidental in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Its bad guys are clearly the sadistic British imperialists, easily read as occidental occupiers who must be overthrown as well as stand-ins for a host of other IRL colonial powers on other continents, in other centuries. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 June 2022 So what happened to those occidental Celts in those four hundred years? — Fintan O’toole, The New York Review of Books, 7 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'occidental.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for occidental

Adjective

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin occidentālis, from occident-, occidens occident + -ālis -al entry 1

Noun

borrowed from Medieval Latin occidentālis, noun derivative of Latin occidentālis, adjective, occidental