Hispanic

adjective

His·​pan·​ic hi-ˈspa-nik How to pronounce Hispanic (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or being a person of Latin American descent and especially of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin living in the U.S.
2
: of or relating to the people, speech, or culture of Spain
Hispanic noun
Hispanicism noun
Hispanicist noun
Hispanicize transitive verb

Examples of Hispanic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Jean-Luc Rivera, deputy executive director of the Latino Community Fund Georgia, an organization supporting Latinx and Hispanic communities in the state, spent Thursday at the Capitol in Atlanta to lobby state legislators to vote against the bill. Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2024 The union’s members are nearly all Hispanic and foreign-born, according to the union. Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 2 Mar. 2024 Grief compounded by fear In 2022, Hispanic students made up nearly 7% of the student body at UGA’s campus, according to demographic data published by the university. Kaitlyn Schwanemann, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 The probe was in response to an official complaint filed in July by Lawyers for Civil Rights alleging that Harvard discriminated against Black, Hispanic and Asian applicants by favoring white candidates with alumni and donor ties. Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 In addition to the festival, three $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to students of Latino and Hispanic heritage who attend Arizona universities. Nadia Cantú, The Arizona Republic, 29 Feb. 2024 The first girl was raised among a family of eight in a poor, largely Hispanic town in Texas and became pregnant in high school. Cathie Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 29 Feb. 2024 These views are also popular among Hispanic Protestants and Latter-day Saints, according to the survey. Lisa Hagen, NPR, 28 Feb. 2024 About 5 percent of T.J. students were Black or Hispanic, even though the surrounding area is about 37 percent Black or Hispanic. David Leonhardt, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Hispanic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin hispanicus, from Hispania Iberian Peninsula, Spain

First Known Use

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of Hispanic was in 1584

Dictionary Entries Near Hispanic

Cite this Entry

“Hispanic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hispanic. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Hispanic

adjective
His·​pan·​ic his-ˈpan-ik How to pronounce Hispanic (audio)
1
: of or relating to the people, culture, or speech of Spain or of Spain and Portugal
2
: of, relating to, or being a person living in the U.S. from or whose ancestors were from Latin America
Hispanic noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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