Meanings
proper nounthe West Indies pl (plural only)
- pluralplural onlyball gamesA Federation of Caribbean states which, together with Guyana, play Test matches as if they were a single nation.
- historicalpluralplural onlyBritish Empire(The former) British West Indies.
Synonyms & antonyms
proper nounThe islands of the Caribbean sea.
Similar
Origin
From west + Indies. From being lands called the Indies, of the West. From being mistaken for the East Indies (aka, the Indies).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan Índies Occidentals
- Índies Occidentalsislands of the Caribbean sea
Chinese Mandarin 西印度群島 /西印度群岛
- 西印度群島 /西印度群岛 (Xī Yìndù qúndǎo)islands of the Caribbean sea
Dutch West-Indië
- West-Indiëislands of the Caribbean sea
Esperanto Karibaj Insuloj
- Karibaj Insulojislands of the Caribbean sea
Finnish Länsi-Intia
- Länsi-Intiaislands of the Caribbean sea
French Indes occidentales, Caraïbes
- Indes occidentalesislands of the Caribbean sea
- Caraïbesislands of the Caribbean sea
German Westindien
- Westindienislands of the Caribbean sea
Hungarian Karib-térség, Antillák
- Karib-térségislands of the Caribbean sea
- Antillákislands of the Caribbean sea
- Nyugat-Indiákislands of the Caribbean sea
Icelandic Vestur-Indíur
- Vestur-Indíurislands of the Caribbean sea
Irish Na hIndiacha Thiar
- Na hIndiacha Thiarislands of the Caribbean sea
Italian Indie Occidentali, Antille
- Indie Occidentaliislands of the Caribbean sea
- Antilleislands of the Caribbean sea
Japanese 西インド諸島
- 西インド諸島 (Nishi Indo shotō)islands of the Caribbean sea
Korean 서인도 제도
- 서인도 제도 (seoindo jedo)islands of the Caribbean sea
Norwegian Karibia
- Karibiaislands of the Caribbean sea
Polish Indie Zachodnie, Indie Zachodnie
- Indie Zachodnieislands of the Caribbean sea
- Indie Zachodniecricket federation
Portuguese Índias Ocidentais
- Índias Ocidentaisislands of the Caribbean sea
Punjabi ਵੈਸਟ ਇੰਡੀਜ਼
- ਵੈਸਟ ਇੰਡੀਜ਼ (vaisaṭ iṇḍīz)islands of the Caribbean sea
Russian Вест-И́ндия
- Вест-И́ндия (Vest-Índija)islands of the Caribbean sea
Spanish Indias Occidentales
- Indias Occidentalesislands of the Caribbean sea
Swedish Västindien
- Västindienislands of the Caribbean sea
Tamil மேற்கிந்திய தீவுகள்
- மேற்கிந்திய தீவுகள் (mēṟkintiya tīvukaḷ)islands of the Caribbean sea
Turkish Batı Hint Adaları
- Batı Hint Adalarıislands of the Caribbean sea
Vietnamese Tây Ấn
- Tây Ấnislands of the Caribbean sea
Welsh yr India Orllewinol
- yr India Orllewinolislands of the Caribbean sea
Cite this entry
APA
West Indies. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/West%20Indies
MLA
“West Indies.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/West%20Indies. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “West Indies,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/West%20Indies.
Source: West Indies on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.