European

American  

[yoor-uh-pee-uhn, yur-] / ˌyʊər əˈpi ən, ˌyɜr- /

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 British  

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• Europeanism noun
• Europeanly adverb
• anti-European adjective
• inter-European adjective
• non-European adjective
• pro-European adjective
• pseudo-European adjective
• un-European adjective

Etymology

Origin of European

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

Example Sentences

Shipping analysts said it was the first vessel owned by a major Western European firm to go through the strait since the conflict began on 28 February.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

European leaders still hope to assuage Trump by pointing to their rising military spending.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

"We're in a state of hallucination," says Éva Bognár, a researcher at the Central European University's Democracy Institute.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

It is also a primary target for a proposed European Space Agency mission planned for the 2040s.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

Except for France and Switzerland, every nation in Europe was a monarchy, and almost every European head of state was related to every other.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman