oc·ci·den·tal
ˌäk-sə-ˈden-tᵊl 
often capitalized
1
: of, relating to, or situated in the Occident : western
2
: of or relating to Occidentals
occidentally
adverb
: a member of one of the occidental peoples
especially
: a person of European ancestry
Examples of occidental in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2023
Whenever Chinese interests were represented in some important conference or a Chinese was in difficulty in some misunderstanding of occidental customs, Tom played a helpful role.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 July 2022
Its bad guys are clearly the sadistic British imperialists, easily read as occidental occupiers who must be overthrown as well as stand-ins for a host of other IRL colonial powers on other continents, in other centuries.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 June 2022
So what happened to those occidental Celts in those four hundred years?
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 7 Mar. 2019
David Blackmon, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
The oil and gas companies that contributed included Occidental Petroleum, Chevron, Phillips 66 and Bayswater Exploration and Production.
—Judith Kohler, The Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2024
Westbound Highway 50 closures are scheduled from 9 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday,
Here’s how Friday night’s closures could affect your commute:
The first three lanes from Occidental Drive to 65th Street will be closed.
—Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2024
Accounting for another 45% of the portfolio are the next 10 largest holdings—which include iconic companies like Bank Of America, American Express, Coca-Cola, Chevron CVX +0.5%, Occidental Petroleum, and Kraft Heinz.
—John Dobosz, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024
The University of California and California State University systems do not give preferential treatment to children of alumni and donors, and some private institutions, such as Occidental and Pomona Colleges, have dropped the practice in recent years.
—Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024
The company also grew its stake in Occidental Petroleum by almost 9% to about $14.5 million.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 26 Feb. 2024
Exxon Mobil and Occidental Petroleum also gained in premarket trading.
—Caitlin McCabe, WSJ, 12 Jan. 2024
During the same period, Berkshire Hathaway has increased its stake in Chevron by 18% to more than $18 billion, according to Forbes, and also grew its stake in Occidental Petroleum by almost 9% to about $14.5 million.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 16 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Is there a more terrifying, fascinating, weirdly appealing time in the occidental imagination than the Middle Ages?
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2023
Whenever Chinese interests were represented in some important conference or a Chinese was in difficulty in some misunderstanding of occidental customs, Tom played a helpful role.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 July 2022
Its bad guys are clearly the sadistic British imperialists, easily read as occidental occupiers who must be overthrown as well as stand-ins for a host of other IRL colonial powers on other continents, in other centuries.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 June 2022
So what happened to those occidental Celts in those four hundred years?
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 7 Mar. 2019
Noun
In an early February interview with CNBC’s Tyler Mathison, Occidental Petroleum OXY +1.4% CEO Vicki Hollub said oil markets could fall into a structural supply shortage as soon as the end of 2025.
—David Blackmon, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
The oil and gas companies that contributed included Occidental Petroleum, Chevron, Phillips 66 and Bayswater Exploration and Production.
—Judith Kohler, The Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2024
Westbound Highway 50 closures are scheduled from 9 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday,
Here’s how Friday night’s closures could affect your commute:
The first three lanes from Occidental Drive to 65th Street will be closed.
—Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2024
Accounting for another 45% of the portfolio are the next 10 largest holdings—which include iconic companies like Bank Of America, American Express, Coca-Cola, Chevron CVX +0.5%, Occidental Petroleum, and Kraft Heinz.
—John Dobosz, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024
The University of California and California State University systems do not give preferential treatment to children of alumni and donors, and some private institutions, such as Occidental and Pomona Colleges, have dropped the practice in recent years.
—Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024
The company also grew its stake in Occidental Petroleum by almost 9% to about $14.5 million.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 26 Feb. 2024
Exxon Mobil and Occidental Petroleum also gained in premarket trading.
—Caitlin McCabe, WSJ, 12 Jan. 2024
During the same period, Berkshire Hathaway has increased its stake in Chevron by 18% to more than $18 billion, according to Forbes, and also grew its stake in Occidental Petroleum by almost 9% to about $14.5 million.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 16 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'occidental.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near occidental
Cite this Entry
“Occidental.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/occidental. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
occidental
1 of 2 adjective
oc·ci·den·tal
ˌäk-sə-ˈdent-ᵊl
often capitalized
1
: of, relating to, or located in the Occident : western
2
: of or relating to Occidentals
Occidental
2 of 2 noun
: a person of European ancestry
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share