Our American neighbor will have lived in Japan for five years next year.
Source: tatoeba (18670)
American
/əˈmɛɹ.ɪ.kən/
Synonyms for "american" (20 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (4)
Noun(4 words)
Strong matches (6)
Related words (10)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: yank, american english, american historical context, american language, american resident.
- Sentence evidence is available for american, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from derived_reverse, wordnet, opengloss, wiktionary, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "american".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "american"
Keep "american" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "american" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "american", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "american" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
11 entriesEnglishEnglish languagedemonym adjectivedenizendwellerhabitantindividualindwellerinhabitantnational adjectiveperson
More specific
7 entriesCollocations
7 entriesAmerican EnglishAmerican citizenAmerican cultureAmerican historyAmerican literatureAmerican politicsAmerican studies
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
6 entriesTranslations
163 translations across 77 languages.
Albanian
3 entries- amerikan adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- amerikan noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
- amerikane noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Amharic
1 entries- አሜሪካዊ adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Arabic
4 entries- أمريكاني adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- أَمْرِيكِيّv adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- أَمْرِيكِيَّة noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
- أَمْرِيكِيّ noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Armenian
3 entries- ամերիկական adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- ամերիկյան adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- ամերիկացի noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Asturian
2 entries- americanu adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- norteamericanu adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Azerbaijani
2 entries- amerika adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- amerikalı adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Belarusian
1 entries- амерыка́нскі adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Bengali
2 entries- মার্কিন adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- মার্কিনী adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Bulgarian
4 entries- америка́нски adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- американец noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
- американка noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
- американче noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Burmese
1 entries- အမေရိကန် adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Catalan
4 entries- estatunidenc adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- nord-americà adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- americana noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
- americà noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Chinese Mandarin
3 entries- 美 adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- 美國的 /美国的 adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- 美洲人 noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Czech
1 entries- americký adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Danish
2 entries- amerikansk adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- amerikaner noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Dutch
2 entries- Amerikaans adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- Amerikaan noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Esperanto
2 entries- usona adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- amerikano noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Estonian
1 entries- ameerika adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Finnish
3 entries- amerikkalainen adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- yhdysvaltalainen adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- amerikkalainen noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
French
3 entries- américain adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- états-unien adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- Américain noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Galician
3 entries- estadounidense adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- americana noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
- americano noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Georgian
1 entries- ამერიკული adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
German
4 entries- US-amerikanisch adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- amerikanisch adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- Amerikaner noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
- Amerikanerin noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Greek
1 entries- αμερικανικός adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Haitian Creole
1 entries- ameriken adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Hawaiian
3 entries- haole adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- ʻAmelika adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- ʻAmelika noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Hebrew
1 entries- אָמֶרִיקָנִי adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Hindi
1 entries- अमरीकी adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Hungarian
1 entries- amerikai adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Icelandic
1 entries- bandarískur adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Ido
2 entries- Usana adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- Amerikano noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Interlingua
1 entries- statounitese adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Irish
1 entries- Meiriceánach adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Italian
3 entries- americano adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- statunitense adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- americano noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Japanese
4 entries- アメリカの adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- アメリカン adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- 米 adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- 米国の adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Kazakh
2 entries- америка adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- американдық adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Khmer
1 entries- អាមេរិក adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Korean
1 entries- 미국의 adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Kyrgyz
2 entries- америка adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- америкалык adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Latin
1 entries- amerī̆canus noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Latvian
2 entries- amerikānisks adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- amerikāņu adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Lithuanian
2 entries- amerikietiškas adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- amerikiečių adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Luxembourgish
1 entries- amerikanesch adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Macedonian
1 entries- америка́нски adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Malay
1 entries- Amerika adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Mongolian
1 entries- америк adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Northern Kurdish
2 entries- amerîkî adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- amerîkî noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Norwegian Bokmål
3 entries- amerikansk adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- amerikaner noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
- amerikanerinne noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Norwegian Nynorsk
3 entries- amerikansk adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- amerikanar noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
- amerikanarinne noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Occitan
2 entries- american noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
- americana noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Pannonian Rusyn
2 entries- американски adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- америцки adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Pashto
3 entries- امريکايی adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- امريکايی noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
- امريکايۍ noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Persian
1 entries- آمریکایی adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Polish
1 entries- amerykański adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Portuguese
4 entries- americano adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- estado-unidens adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- norte-americano adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- americana noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Romanian
3 entries- american adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- american noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
- americancă noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Russian
1 entries- америка́нский adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Scottish Gaelic
2 entries- Ameireaganach adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- Ameireaganach noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- američki adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- амѐричкӣ adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Sicilian
2 entries- miricana noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
- miricanu noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Slovak
1 entries- americký adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Slovene
1 entries- amêriški adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Spanish
4 entries- estadounidense adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- gabacho adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- grencho (despective) adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- gringo adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Swahili
1 entries- Waamerika noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Swedish
3 entries- amerikansk adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- amerikan noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
- amerikanare noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Tagalog
4 entries- Amerikahin adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- Amerikano adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- Amerikahin noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
- Amerikano noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Tajik
1 entries- амрикоӣ adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Tamil
2 entries- அமெரிக்க adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- அமெரிக்கர் noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Thai
2 entries- อเมริกัน adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- คนอเมริกัน noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Turkish
3 entries- Amerikalı adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- Amerikan adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- Amerikalı noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Turkmen
2 entries- amerika adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- amerikaly adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Ukrainian
1 entries- америка́нський adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Urdu
2 entries- امریکائی adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- امریکی adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Uzbek
2 entries- amerika adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- amerikalik adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Vietnamese
4 entries- (thuộc) Hoa Kỳ adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- (thuộc) Mỹ adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- tiếng Mỹ adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- người Mỹ noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Volapük
4 entries- Lamerikäna-Linglänapükik adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- Lamerikänanik adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- Lamerikänik adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
- Meropan noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Welsh
1 entries- Americaniad noun (inhabitant of the Americas)
Yiddish
1 entries- אַמעריקאַניש adj (of or pertaining to the U.S., its people or its culture — see also U.S. American)
Sample sentences
36 total sentences available.
A huge federal budget deficit has been plaguing the American economy for many years.
Source: tatoeba (19393)
On his way home, Tom met a man who he thought was an American.
Source: tatoeba (20423)
Hanako has attended an American college for four years.
Source: tatoeba (23720)
Showing 4 of 36 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "american"?
Closest matches include yank, american english, american historical context, american language, american resident.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "american"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.