liberian

Word family

• Liberia
  proper nounA2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Liberian names a person's nationality or origin: it tells you that someone comes from Liberia. Citizen is a legal word that focuses on formal membership in a country, so a Liberian citizen is someone who officially holds that nationality. Resident only tells you where a person lives now, not where the person comes from; a resident of Monrovia might be Liberian or foreign. Expatriate usually describes someone living outside the country where that person was born or holds citizenship. For example, a Liberian student in Taipei may still be a Liberian citizen, while a Canadian resident of Monrovia is not Liberian. Use Liberian when nationality or origin matters most.

Common collocations

Etymology

Liberian is built from the country name Liberia and the suffix -an, a common ending in English for people or things connected with a place. The country name Liberia was formed from a Latin word meaning 'free,' and the modern adjective and noun grew from that place name.