Caucasian

adjective

Cau·​ca·​sian kȯ-ˈkā-zhən 

kä-,

 also  -ˈka-zhən

1

: of or relating to the Caucasus or its inhabitants

were forced to leave their Caucasian homeland

2

: of or relating to a group of people having European ancestry, classified according to physical traits (such as light skin pigmentation), and formerly considered to constitute a race (see race entry 1 sense 1a) of humans

Note: People of North African and southwest Asian ancestry were historically also sometimes considered to be of the Caucasian race.

Caucasian noun

Caucasoid

ˈkȯ-kə-ˌsȯid 

-ˌzȯid

adjective or noun

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Caucasian vs. White

Caucasian has two fairly distinct meanings, and the difference between them occasionally leads people to aver that one of them is incorrect. The earliest sense of the word is a literal one: “of or relating to the Caucasus (a region in southeastern Europe between the Black and Caspian seas) or its inhabitants.” The second refers to the racial group commonly referred to as white.

The objection to using Caucasian to refer to a white person is that many whites do not actually come from the Caucasus region. Be this as it may, there is no rule in language stipulating that the formation of a word must be based on logic; were this the case we would not call members of this racial group either Caucasian or white, since there are very few whose skin color is in fact that exact shade.

Examples of Caucasian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The condition affects about one to three people in a million, most often middle-aged Caucasian men, like the patient in this case. —ArsTechnica, 11 July 2025

During their expeditions, the men captured footage of Malayan tigers, Javan rhinos, Gobi bears, Caucasian leopards, North Atlantic right whales, and western lowland gorillas. —Kelli Bender, People.com, 11 July 2025

Caveats to the Study The study participants were older, mostly Caucasian women living in Western Australia. —Mira Miller, Verywell Health, 8 July 2025

The researchers interviewed eight Caucasian adult women and found that participants followed a rough trajectory across five themes: relational evolution, decline, end, rumination and recovery. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Caucasian

• abrasion
• equation
• eurasian
• evasion
• invasion
• occasion
• persuasion
• asian
• suasion
• athanasian

Kids Definition

Caucasian

adjective

Cau·​ca·​sian kȯ-ˈkā-zhən 

-ˈkazh-ən

1

: of or relating to the Caucasus or people living there

2

: of or relating to a group of people having European ancestry, classified according to physical traits (as light skin pigmentation), and formerly considered to constitute a race of humans

Caucasian noun

Medical Definition

Caucasian

adjective

Cau·​ca·​sian ˈkȯ-ˈkā-zhən, -ˈkazh-ən 

: of or relating to a group of people having European ancestry, classified according to physical traits (as light skin pigmentation), and formerly considered to constitute a race of humans

Caucasian noun