Hispanic

American  

[hi-span-ik] / hɪˈspæn ɪk /

adjective

1. Spanish.

2. of or relating to Spanish-speaking Latin America.

   the United States and its Hispanic neighbors.

3. Also Hispano of or relating to people of Spanish-speaking descent: the Hispanic vote;

   Hispanic students;

   the Hispanic vote;

   Hispanic communities.

---

noun

1. Also called Hispano-American.  Also called Hispanic American.  a citizen or resident of the United States who is of Spanish or Spanish-speaking Latin American descent.

2. a person whose primary or native language is Spanish.

Hispanic British  

/ hɪˈspænɪk /

adjective

1. relating to, characteristic of, or derived from Spain or Spanish-speaking countries

---

noun

1. a person of Latin-American or Spanish descent living in the US

Usage

Some words that describe national or ethnic identities are acceptable as plural nouns, but are more controversial as singular nouns. This is the case for Hispanic. It’s often acceptable as a plural noun (a candidate favored by Hispanics ). However, it may sometimes be less so as a singular noun (the candidate who is a Hispanic ). Such words are always perfectly appropriate as adjectives (strategies to get Hispanic voters to the polls).

his is the word most generally used in the US to refer to people of Latin American or Spanish ancestry

Other Word Forms

• Hispanically adverb
• non-Hispanic adjective
• pre-Hispanic adjective
• trans-Hispanic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Hispanic

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin hispānicus, “Spanish”; Hispania, -ic

Example Sentences

Another effort at GOP outreach to Hispanic voters culminated in President George W. Bush taking approximately 40% of the Latino vote in 2004.

From Salon • Mar. 25, 2026

One of his accusers, Dolores Huerta, was another UFW co-founder and a prominent figure in the Hispanic labor movement herself.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Women, people of Hispanic origin, people with severe initial infections and people who have not been vaccinated against the virus appear more likely than other groups to develop long COVID.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2026

But Talarico carried suburbs with affluent white liberals and areas with large numbers of Hispanic voters – including San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley along the US-Mexico border.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

Asian and Hispanic people; black and white people.

From "Towers Falling" by Jewell Parker Rhodes