Hawaiian

noun

Ha·​wai·​ian hə-ˈwä-yən 

-ˈwī-(y)ən,

-ˈwȯ-yən

1

: a native or resident of Hawaii

especially : one of Polynesian ancestry

Note: In Hawaii, the word Hawaiian is understood as an ethnic designation for a native person of Polynesian descent, and its use in the more general sense "a resident of Hawaii" is considered an error.

2

: the Polynesian language of the Hawaiians

Hawaiian adjective

Examples of Hawaiian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Number Of Airlines Adopting Starlink Have Grown Flexjet, JSX and Hawaiian Airlines were the first to take Starlink service live onboard. —Marisa Garcia, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025

Santa Clara County prosecutors are also suing the maker of Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic sunscreens over similar allegations. —Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 7 May 2025

Four of the venues on the west side are located in the Stater Bros. shopping center — Jersey Mike’s Subs, L&L Hawaiian BBQ, Rise and Shine Coffee Shop and Rubio’s Coastal Grill. —Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 May 2025

Black Hawaiian Salt Hailing from the see around the Hawaiian Islands, this salt is dried in lava beds, giving it a reddish brown or black color. —Katie Sullivan Morford, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Hawaiian

• Hawaiian goose
• Hawaiian guitar
• Hawaiian shirt

Rhymes for Hawaiian

• ixion
• orion
• procyon
• visayan
• amphitryon
• dandelion
• heian
• ion
• lion
• mayan
• scion

Kids Definition

Hawaiian

noun

Ha·​wai·​ian hə-ˈwä-yən 

-ˈwī(y)ən,

-ˈwȯ-yən

1

: a person born or living in Hawaii

especially : one of Polynesian ancestry

2

: the Polynesian language of the Hawaiians

Hawaiian adjective