: of, relating to, or characteristic of the continent of Asia or its people
Asian vs. Asiatic: Usage Guide
Asian is now solidly preferred to Asiatic; the latter persists mainly in the names of some kinds of flora and fauna.
an Asiatic lily
the Asiatic elephant
Asiatic still has some use as a geographical designator
the Asiatic side of the Bosporus
but has increasingly been considered offensive, especially as associated with the policies of colonialism.
1
: a native or inhabitant of Asia
2
: a person of Asian descent
Examples of Asian in a Sentence
Noun
There are many Asians living in South America.
Recent Examples on the Web
Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 16 Aug. 2025
The study evaluated trails in 11 Southeast Asian countries, with Malaysia claiming nine of the top 10 spots.
—Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 16 Aug. 2025
Brody Miller, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Menu: Brisket, turkey, pork belly, pork ribs with South Asian inspired meats like their Laotian sausage and waterfall pork.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Asian
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
The story of the Kim family and their Toronto convenience store blends generational and classic comedy by lovingly tweaking expectations about Korean parenting and stereotypes (Simu Liu cannot keep his shirt on as our first Asian himbo).
—Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 16 Aug. 2025
The study evaluated trails in 11 Southeast Asian countries, with Malaysia claiming nine of the top 10 spots.
—Iona Brannon, Travel + Leisure, 16 Aug. 2025
Noun
Kim would likely need to either play his way in through LIV’s promotion event in the winter or play well enough in LIV’s International Series as part of the Asian Tour.
—Brody Miller, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Menu: Brisket, turkey, pork belly, pork ribs with South Asian inspired meats like their Laotian sausage and waterfall pork.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Asian
Cite this Entry
“Asian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Asian. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share