occidental

1 of 2

adjective

oc·​ci·​den·​tal ˌäk-sə-ˈden-tᵊl 

often capitalized

1

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

2

: of or relating to Occidentals

occidentally adverb

Occidental

2 of 2

noun

: a member of one of the occidental peoples

especially : a person of European ancestry

Examples of occidental in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Is there a more terrifying, fascinating, weirdly appealing time in the occidental imagination than the Middle Ages? —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2023

Whenever Chinese interests were represented in some important conference or a Chinese was in difficulty in some misunderstanding of occidental customs, Tom played a helpful role. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 July 2022

Noun

According to Rolling Stone, major companies such as Chevron, ExxonMobil and Occidental Petroleum have contributed to Trump's inauguration committee. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 7 Feb. 2025

Jane Hong is the author of Opening the Gates to Asia: A Transpacific History of How America Repealed Asian Exclusion (University of North Carolina Press, 2019) and associate professor of history at Occidental College. —Jane Hong / Made By History, TIME, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1538, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for occidental

• accidental
• compartmental
• continental
• detrimental
• elemental
• fundamental
• governmental
• incidental
• incremental
• instrumental
• interdental
• monumental

Kids Definition

occidental

1 of 2 adjective

oc·​ci·​den·​tal ˌäk-sə-ˈdent-ᵊl 

often capitalized

1

: of, relating to, or located in the Occident : western

2

: of or relating to Occidentals

Occidental

2 of 2 noun

: a person of European ancestry