European

[ yoor-uh-pee-uhn, yur- ]

adjective

1. of or relating to Europe or its inhabitants.
2. native to or derived from Europe:

   traditional European customs; European languages.

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Europe.
2. a person of European descent.
3. (in East Africa and Asia) a white person; Caucasian.

European

/ ˌjʊərəˈpɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Europe or its inhabitants
2. native to or derived from Europe

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Europe
2. a person of European descent
3. a supporter of the European Union or of political union of the countries of Europe or a part of it

Derived Forms

• ˌEuroˈpeanˌism, noun

Other Words From

• Euro·pean·ly adverb
• anti-Euro·pean adjective noun
• inter-Euro·pean adjective
• non-Eu·ro·pean adjective noun
• pro-Eu·ro·pean adjective noun
• pseudo-Euro·pean adjective noun
• un-Eu·ro·pean adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of European¹

1595–1605; < Latin Eurōpae(us) ( Europe, -eous ) + -an

Example Sentences

Said the president of India’s deciding body, “The jury said that they were watching a European film taking place in India, not an Indian film taking place in India.”

From Los Angeles Times

Some scholars believe the now-offensive term originated from the Algonquin language, which was spoken by many tribes on the East Coast, and originally meant “woman,” but was later corrupted by European colonists.

From Los Angeles Times

Neither Rubio nor Mike Waltz, who was nominated to be Trump's national security advisor, sparked giddy enthusiasm, but as one European diplomat put it to Politico: "They are a bit less awful than others."

From Salon

In October, members of the European Parliament condemned Azerbaijan's “repression” of activists, journalists, and opposition figures, and deemed its human rights abuses incompatible with hosting COP29.

From BBC

A UK government spokesperson said: "We are committed to resetting our relationship with our European partners... and improving our trade and investment relationship."

From BBC