caucasian

/kɔːˈkeɪʒən/

adjective

  1. Relating to the Caucasus, the region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.

    C1
    • "The museum has an important collection of Caucasian art."B2
    • "Several Caucasian languages are spoken in the mountainous region."C1

  2. Relating to or describing people traditionally classified as white, especially in older American usage.

    B2

    formal, dated

    • "The form asked whether the participant was Caucasian."B2
    • "Many modern researchers avoid Caucasian because it is an imprecise racial category."C1

noun

  1. A person traditionally classified as white, especially in older American usage; this term is now often considered outdated or insensitive.

    B2

    countableformal, dated

    • "The report used the term Caucasian for white participants."B2
    • "In many contexts, white person is clearer and more neutral than Caucasian."B2

Common mistakes

  • Caucasian means all people from the Caucasus.→Caucasian can refer to the Caucasus region, but it has also been used as an outdated racial label.

    The racial use is not a precise scientific classification and may be insensitive.

  • caucasion→caucasian

    The correct spelling is 'caucasian'.

Collocations

Caucasian languagesCaucasian artCaucasian personCaucasian raceCaucasian population

Word family

Caucasus