Asiatic

American  

[ey-zhee-at-ik, ey-shee-, ey-zee-] / ˌeɪ ʒiˈæt ɪk, ˌeɪ ʃi-, ˌeɪ zi- /

adjective

1. Asian.

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noun

Usually Offensive.

1. an Asian person.

Asiatic British  

/ ˌeɪʃɪˈætɪk, -zɪ- /

noun

1. a word formerly used for Asian

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Sensitive Note

See Asian.

Usage

Asiatic is the correct word to use in scientific language when talking about flora, fauna and anthropology, for instance Asiatic lion . Using it as a noun is offensive and old-fashioned

Other Word Forms

• anti-Asiatic adjective
• half-Asiatic adjective
• non-Asiatic adjective
• pro-Asiatic adjective
• trans-Asiatic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Asiatic

First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin Asiāticus, from Greek Asiātikos; Asia, -tic ( def. )

Example Sentences

The zoo is home to more than 8,000 animals – from a colony of leafcutter ants to critically endangered Asiatic lions.

From BBC • Jan. 6, 2026

Last March, a female Asiatic cheetah, dubbed Majrad by scientists, was killed by a car in Iran’s Semnan province.

From Slate • May 25, 2024

Past the front yard, more than 80 varieties of towering Asiatic lilies, some as tall as 8 feet, create a dramatic and elegant display.

From Seattle Times • May 22, 2024

The jailings prompted a massive outcry from conservationists, academics, and political leaders urging Iran to release the conservationists, who were working to protect endangered species such as the Asiatic cheetah.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 10, 2024

Eurasia comprises the whole of the northern part of the European and Asiatic land-mass, from Portugal to the Bering Strait.

From "1984" by George Orwell