European

1 of 2

adjective

Eu·​ro·​pe·​an ˌyu̇r-ə-ˈpē-ən 

-ˈpēn

: of, relating to, or characteristic of Europe or its people

Europeanness noun

European

2 of 2

noun

1

: a native or inhabitant of Europe

2

: a person of European descent

Examples of European in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The European Energy Crisis The European energy crisis, worsened by geopolitical tensions and rising energy costs, has pushed the continent to rethink its approach to energy consumption. —Susie Violet Ward, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024

The newspaper reported Trump as saying European personnel should take the lead in protecting Ukraine. —Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024

Noun

For example, the European Union’s AI Act will more strictly regulate AI development and deployment. —Ashish Sukhadeve, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024

The Fed’s meeting comes after the European Central Bank last week cut interest rates by a quarter point in its fourth reduction of the year. —Brian Evans,sophie Kiderlin, CNBC, 17 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1555, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing European

• European American
• European bison
• European chafer
• European corn borer
• European flat
• European flat oyster
• European hornet
• European mountain ash
• European oyster
• European plan
• European red mite
• Indo-European
• Indo-European languages
• non-European
• non-Indo-European
• smaller European elm bark beetle
• un-European

Kids Definition

European

1 of 2 adjective

Eu·​ro·​pe·​an ˌyu̇r-ə-ˈpē-ən 

: of or relating to Europe or its people

European

2 of 2 noun

1

: a person born or living in Europe

2

: a person of European ancestry