Neorican

N1E1O1R1I1C3A1N1
UK/ˌniː.əʊˈɹiː.kən/US/ˌni.oʊˈɹi.kən/

adjective

Of or relating to natives or inhabitants of the mainland United States (especially New York) who are of Puerto Rican descent.

Scrabble 10

Meanings

adjectiveNeorican (not comparable)

alternative Neo-Rican · alternative neo-Rican

  1. not comparableOf or relating to natives or inhabitants of the mainland United States (especially New York) who are of Puerto Rican descent.

    Like other contemporary Neorican authors, they are internationalizing their experiences of oppression and historical invisibility.

    1993, Frances R[ivera] Aparicio, “From Ethnicity to Multiculturalism: An Historical Overview of Puerto Rican Literature in the United States”, in Francisco Lomelí, editor, Handbook of Hispanic Cultures in the United States: Literature and Art, Houston, Tex.: Arte Público Press, →ISBN, page 36, column 1
    3 more examples

    And, while New York's school system struggles with the problem of making the Puerto Rican child truly bilingual, the island's schools have the problem in reverse: 20,000 Neorican youngsters are trying to learn Spanish.

    1972 May 21, Ruth Gruber, “There Are Few Independentistas In Puerto Rico, But—”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 Feb 2021

    “The Puerto Rican Papers” has a saving grace. It is the first articulate statement, in book form, of a sector of the Neorican mentality: the proindependence, New York‐born militants.

    1973 October 7, “The Puerto Ricans”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 04 Aug 2020

    Examples of hybridization are the poetry of Martin Espada, which combines neosurrealism with political activism, and the Neorican poetry of Miguel Algarin, Pedro Pietri, and Pedro Adorno.

    2005, José Manuel Rodeiro, “Aesthetics”, in Ilan Stavans, Harold Augenbraum, editors, Encyclopedia Latina: History, Culture, and Society in the United States, volume 1 (1492 – Cuban Missile Crisis), Danbury, Conn.: Grolier Academic Reference, →ISBN, page 34, column 2
nounNeorican (plural Neoricans)

plural Neoricans · alternative Neo-Rican · alternative neo-Rican

Synonyms & antonyms

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Origin

  1. Spanishneorriqueño
  2. EnglishNeorican

From neo- + (Puerto) Rican, modeled after Spanish neorriqueño, itself a blend of neoyorquino (“New Yorker”) + puertorriqueño (“Puerto Rican”).

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with Neorican

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Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

Neorican. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Neorican

MLA

“Neorican.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Neorican. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Neorican,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Neorican.

Source: Neorican on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.