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
hi-ˈspa-nə-ˌsi-zəm How to pronounce Hispanic (audio)
noun
Hispanicist
hi-ˈspa-nə-sist How to pronounce Hispanic (audio)
noun
Hispanicize
hi-ˈspa-nə-ˌsīz How to pronounce Hispanic (audio)
transitive verb

Examples of Hispanic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These schools also have some of the smallest statistical gaps between the scores of white and Black or Hispanic students. — Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, 20 May 2025 There are still no Black or Hispanic women leading S&P 500 companies. — Kim Elsesser, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025 Those efforts to increase the stubbornly low percentage of female, Black and Hispanic executives seemed to get results. — Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 19 May 2025 In a Pew Research Center survey in 2021, 68 percent of Americans said that the descendants of people enslaved in the United States should not be repaid in some way, a feeling overwhelmingly held by those who were white, Asian or Hispanic. — Laurel Rosenhall, New York Times, 18 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for Hispanic

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

Phrases Containing Hispanic

Rhymes for Hispanic

See All Rhymes for Hispanic

Browse Nearby Words

Hispania
Hispanic
hispanicization
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hispanic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hispanic. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

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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
2
: of, relating to, or being a person living in the U.S. from or whose ancestors were from Latin America
Hispanic noun
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