afro

A1F4R1O1
US/ˈæf.ɹoʊ/

noun

A hairstyle characterized by tightly curled locks and a rounded shape.

Similar
Less commonScrabble 7

Meanings

afro1

nounafro (plural afros)

plural afros · alternative Afro

  1. A hairstyle characterized by tightly curled locks and a rounded shape.

    sheʼd been unmissable sitting in the front row of the lecture theatre with a crazy-ass afro and stunning face

    2019, Bernardine Evaristo, Girl, Woman, Other, Penguin Books (2020), page 335
  2. A person of African ancestry.

    Afrodescendants (or simply Afros) are the descendants of Africans who were dispersed.

    2022, Jun Takahara, “Say It Loud — I’m Afro and I’m Proud: Why we need to replace our racial identity labels with (pan-)ethnic ones”, in Medium, page 1
    2 more examples

    The Ghanaian government employed several Afros, as many of the expatriates called themselves, downplaying their Americanness, in ideological and infrastructure-building occupations.

    2012, Kevin K. Gates, American Africans in Ghana: Black Expatriates and the Civil Rights Era, University of North Carolina Press (2006), pages 142–143

    At the height of the American civil rights agitation, a number of members of the Black Panther movement moved to Tanzania, and lived outside Arusha where they formed a community, calling themselves ‘’Afros.’’

    2022, Beatrice Materu, “The African Americans who chose to return to Africa”, in The EastAfrican, page 1

    Synonyms: Afrodescendant

Afro2

nounAfro (plural Afros)

plural Afros

  1. alternativeAlternative form of afro.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA person of African ancestry.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

nouna rounded thickly curled hairdo

Similar
Afro hairdo
Broader
hairdohairstylehair style

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From Afro-. In relation to the sense 2, see latino and anglo.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Cantonese 爆炸頭 /爆炸头, 爆炸裝 /爆炸装
  • 爆炸頭 /爆炸头 (baau³ zaa³ tau⁴)hairstyle
  • 爆炸裝 /爆炸装 (baau³ zaa³ zong¹)hairstyle
Chinese Mandarin 阿福羅頭 /阿福罗头, 非洲頭 /非洲头
  • 阿福羅頭 /阿福罗头 (āfúluótóu)hairstyle
  • 非洲頭 /非洲头 (fēizhōutóu)hairstyle
Finnish afro, afrokampaus
  • afrohairstyle
  • afrokampaushairstyle
French afro
  • afrohairstyle
German Afrolook, Afro
  • Afrolookhairstyle
  • Afrohairstyle
Japanese アフロヘアー, アフロ
  • アフロヘアー (afuroheā)hairstyle
  • アフロ (afuro)hairstyle
Polish afro
  • afrohairstyle
Portuguese afro, black power
  • afrohairstyle
  • black powerhairstyle
Russian а́фро
  • а́фро (áfro)hairstyle
Spanish afro
  • afrohairstyle
Swedish afro
  • afrohairstyle
Thai แอโฟร
  • แอโฟร (ɛɛ-fróo)hairstyle

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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