African

1 of 2

noun

Af·​ri·​can ˈa-fri-kən 

 also  ˈä-

1

: a native or inhabitant of Africa

2

: a person and especially a Black person of African ancestry

African

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the continent of Africa or its people

Africanness

ˈa-fri-kə(n)-nəs 

noun

Examples of African in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Reuters — The African Union has backed a campaign to end the use by governments and international organizations of the 16th-century Mercator map of the world in favor of one that more accurately displays Africa’s size. —Reuters 4 Hr Ago, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025

This perfidious situation, unintentional as its creation may have been, was strongly critiqued as far back as 1983 by Jonathan Crush and Paul Wellings in an article in The Journal of Modern African Studies. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 15 Aug. 2025

Adjective

South Carolina and Georgia: Gullah and Geechee communities along the southeastern coast are distinct Freedom Colonies, preserving African cultural and linguistic heritage. —Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025

Dieng, 6 feet 2 and 170 pounds, was playing as a teenager for the Sahel Academy in Dakar, Senegal, when Rainbow Sports, an African scouting service, connected him with Burke and the Hartford franchise, which was looking for younger players to develop along with their veterans. —Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English Aufrican, Affrican, going back to Old English Africanas (plural), borrowed from Latin Āfricānus african entry 2

Adjective

borrowed from Latin Āfricānus, from Āfrica (short for Āfrica terra, literally, "African land," from feminine of Āfricus "of the Roman province of Africa [present-day northern Tunisia], of the continent of Africa," from Āfr-, Āfer "of Africa, inhabitant of North Africa [other than Egypt]" —of unknown origin— + -icus -ic entry 1) + -ānus -an entry 2

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1548, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing African

• African American
• African American English
• African American Language
• African American Vernacular English
• African buffalo
• African clawed frog
• African clawed toad
• African daisy
• African elephant
• African gray
• African hunting dog
• African mahogany
• African sleeping sickness
• African swine fever
• African violet
• African wild dog
• inter-African
• non-African
• South African

Kids Definition

African

noun

Af·​ri·​can

ˈaf-ri-kən

1

: a person born or living in Africa

2

: a person of African ancestry

African adjective