Iranian

American  

[ih-rey-nee-uhn, ih-rah-, ahy-rey-] / ɪˈreɪ ni ən, ɪˈrɑ-, aɪˈreɪ- /

Also Irani

adjective

1. of or relating to Iran, its inhabitants, or their language.

2. of or relating to the Iranian languages.

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noun

1. a subbranch of the Indo-European family of languages, including especially Persian, Pashto, Avestan, and Kurdish.

2. an inhabitant of Iran; Persian.

Iranian British  

/ ɪˈreɪnɪən /

noun

1. a native, citizen, or inhabitant of Iran

2. a branch of the Indo-European family of languages, divided into West Iranian (including Old Persian, Pahlavi, modern Persian, Kurdish, Baluchi, and Tajik) and East Iranian (including Avestan, Sogdian, Pashto, and Ossetic)

3. Also: Persian.   Farsi.  the modern Persian language

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adjective

1. relating to, denoting, or characteristic of Iran, its inhabitants, or their language; Persian

2. belonging to or relating to the Iranian branch of Indo-European

Other Word Forms

• anti-Iranian adjective
• pro-Iranian adjective
• pseudo-Iranian adjective
• trans-Iranian adjective

Etymology

Origin of Iranian

First recorded in 1835–45; Iran + -ian

Example Sentences

Another Chinese worker, a 48-year-old on a ship moving Iranian goods to China, described slipping across the strait in late March after being stuck for three weeks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

It wasn’t until Tuesday, more than four weeks into the war, that Caine said it was safe enough to send lumbering B-52 bombers over Iranian territory.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

Church members would pass them out surreptitiously for evangelism to prospective Iranian converts.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

Iranian state media first claimed on Friday that the country's forces shot down a US jet over its southern region.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

The overwhelming dislike for the Pahlavi dynasty gave birth to the Iranian Revolution, and by then my parents were also fed up with the regime's inhumane tactics.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi