Caucasian

adjective

Cau·​ca·​sian kȯ-ˈkā-zhən How to pronounce Caucasian (audio)
kä-,
 also  -ˈka-zhən
1
: of or relating to the Caucasus or its inhabitants
were forced to leave their Caucasian homeland
2
: of or relating to a group of people having European ancestry, classified according to physical traits (such as light skin pigmentation), and formerly considered to constitute a race (see race entry 1 sense 1a) of humans

Note: People of North African and southwest Asian ancestry were historically also sometimes considered to be of the Caucasian race.

Caucasian noun
Caucasoid adjective or noun

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Caucasian vs. White

Caucasian has two fairly distinct meanings, and the difference between them occasionally leads people to aver that one of them is incorrect. The earliest sense of the word is a literal one: “of or relating to the Caucasus (a region in southeastern Europe between the Black and Caspian seas) or its inhabitants.” The second refers to the racial group commonly referred to as white.

The objection to using Caucasian to refer to a white person is that many whites do not actually come from the Caucasus region. Be this as it may, there is no rule in language stipulating that the formation of a word must be based on logic; were this the case we would not call members of this racial group either Caucasian or white, since there are very few whose skin color is in fact that exact shade.

Examples of Caucasian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Whoopi Goldberg declares The White Lotus to be 'The Caucasian Lotus' on The View Haines noted that the U.S. is heading toward a government shutdown and the Department of Veterans Affairs plans to cut more than 70,000 jobs amid the Trump administration’s federal restructuring. EW.com, 7 Mar. 2025 In the 1990s, for instance, Russian President Boris Yeltsin used economic coercion to secure concessions from Central Asian and Caucasian republics that wanted to retain close links to Moscow. Nicholas Mulder, Foreign Affairs, 6 Mar. 2025 Research indicates that Black children and their parents are three times more fearful of drowning than Caucasian children and their parents. Cullen Jones, TIME, 22 Feb. 2025 The film boasted a strong turnout across all demographics; 35% of opening weekend ticket buyers were Caucasian, 26% were Latino and Hispanic, 23% were Black and 10% were Asian. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 17 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Caucasian

Word History

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Caucasian was in 1542

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Cite this Entry

“Caucasian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Caucasian. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

Caucasian

adjective
Cau·​ca·​sian kȯ-ˈkā-zhən How to pronounce Caucasian (audio)
-ˈkazh-ən
1
: of or relating to the Caucasus or people living there
2
: of or relating to a group of people having European ancestry, classified according to physical traits (as light skin pigmentation), and formerly considered to constitute a race of humans
Caucasian noun

Medical Definition

Caucasian

adjective
Cau·​ca·​sian ˈkȯ-ˈkā-zhən, -ˈkazh-ən How to pronounce Caucasian (audio)
: of or relating to a group of people having European ancestry, classified according to physical traits (as light skin pigmentation), and formerly considered to constitute a race of humans
Caucasian noun

More from Merriam-Webster on Caucasian

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