Scottish

1 of 2

adjective

Scot·​tish ˈskä-tish 

: of, relating to, or characteristic of Scotland, Scots, or the Scots

Scottishness

ˈskä-tish-nəs 

noun

Scottish

2 of 2

noun

: scots

Examples of Scottish in a Sentence

Adjective

He spoke with a Scottish accent.

Robert Burns was a great Scottish poet.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Seven decades or so earlier, the Scottish naturalist James Hutton had argued that geological processes played out gradually over previously unimagined periods of time. —Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026

The jury will be completed by Irish-Ethiopian actress and producer Ruth Negga, Belgian director and screenwriter Laura Wandel, Chinese director and screenwriter Chloé Zhao, Chilean filmmaker Diego Céspedes, IvorianAmerican actor Isaach De Bankolé and Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty. —Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 4 May 2026

Noun

The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) announced in mid-April that its archaeologists had found a mortar shell at Culloden Battlefield, just outside Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026

Filming will continue in Poland, the Scottish Highlands and Hong Kong. —Jordan Moreau, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Scottes Scotsmen

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1759, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing Scottish

• Scottish deerhound
• Scottish Gaelic
• Scottish rite
• Scottish terrier

Kids Definition

Scottish

1 of 2 adjective

Scot·​tish ˈskät-ish 

: of, relating to, or characteristic of Scotland, the people of Scotland, or the Scots language

Scottish

2 of 2 noun

: scots entry 2