iranian

iranian — adjective

1. coming from Iran or connected with the country, its people, or its way of life

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

coming from Iran or connected with the country, its people, or its way of life

Example

Samir's family shared their traditional Iranian food with the new neighbors.

collocation: Iranian food / Iranian dish

The Iranian film won the top award at a major festival in Berlin.

collocation: Iranian film / Iranian art

Common collocations
  • Iranian government
  • Iranian culture
  • Iranian people
  • Iranian food
  • Iranian history
  • Iranian film
  • Iranian carpet
  • Iranian student
Synonyms
  • Persian

    More specific — refers to the dominant ethnic/cultural group within Iran or the historical Persian Empire; 'Iranian' is the broader modern national term

Grammar Patterns

Iranian + noun

Usage Note

Commonly combines with nouns describing cultural items, government institutions, and people: Iranian culture, Iranian government, Iranian people, Iranian student.

Common Mistakes

She bought an Irani carpet.
She bought an Iranian carpet.
The correct English demonym is 'Iranian', not 'Irani'.

iranian — noun

Word family

  • Iran
    proper nounA2
  • Iranian-born
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While 'Iranian' and 'Persian' are sometimes used interchangeably in casual English, they differ in scope. 'Iranian' refers broadly to anyone or anything connected with the modern nation of Iran, including its diverse ethnic groups. 'Persian' more narrowly relates to the Persian ethnic group, the Persian language (Farsi), and the cultural heritage of the ancient Persian Empire. For example, an Iranian citizen may be ethnically Azeri, Kurd, or Arab and thus may not identify as Persian. In everyday conversation, 'Persian' commonly appears when talking about food (Persian cuisine), carpets, poetry, and historical sites, while 'Iranian' is the standard term for politics, government, and national identity.

Persian ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • Iranian American
  • Iranian-born

Prepositions

  • from Iran
  • of Iran

Etymology

Old PersianMiddle PersianEnglish

From Iran (the modern country name, derived from Middle Persian Ērān, meaning 'land of the Aryans') combined with the English suffix -ian, which is used to form adjectives and nouns meaning 'belonging to' or 'relating to' a place.