Meaning & use
Inuit
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Meanings
proper nounplural
A group of Indigenous peoples who have traditionally lived in the Arctic regions of Canada, Alaska and Greenland.
Grammar: Takes a plural verb and is not given an extra s: the Inuit are known for their Arctic skills.
Patterns
- the Inuit of somewhere
The Inuit have lived in the Arctic for many centuries.
Many Inuit in northern Canada speak Inuktitut at home.
The museum has an exhibit about how the Inuit hunted and traveled on ice.
nouncountable
One member of this people; the word is already plural when used for several people.
Grammar: Both singular and plural are Inuit: an Inuit hunter, three Inuit women.
Patterns
- an Inuit person
She is an Inuit artist who carves soapstone sculptures.
An Inuit elder told the children traditional stories.
Two Inuit from the village guided the research team.
adjectivebefore a noun
Relating to the Inuit, their languages, art or way of life.
Grammar: Always placed before a noun: Inuit art.
Patterns
- Inuit art
- Inuit community
Inuit art is admired around the world for its carvings and prints.
The Inuit community held a festival in spring.
He studied Inuit traditions of storytelling.
Common combinations
- Inuit community
- The Inuit community welcomed visitors to the festival.
- Inuit art
- Inuit art often shows animals of the Arctic.
- Inuit language
- The Inuit language Inuktitut is taught in northern schools.
- Inuit elder
- An Inuit elder shared knowledge about the ice.
- Inuit culture
- The film explores Inuit culture and daily life.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Eskimo
- Eskimo is an outdated outsider term that many people find offensive in Canada, so Inuit is the respectful choice there.
Word family
- Inuktitut proper noun
- the language of the Inuit in eastern Canada
- Inuk noun
- the singular form for one Inuit person in the Inuit language
- Nunavut proper noun
- the Canadian territory where most Inuit live
Commonly confused: Inuit or Inupiat? Inuit or Inuits?
Inuit vs Inupiat
Inupiat are a separate Indigenous people of northern Alaska, and the name is not interchangeable with Inuit in every context.
Inuit vs Inuits
Inuits is not standard because Inuit is already plural.
Practice
Which sentence uses the word correctly?
Choose one answer.
Inuit is already a plural, so three Inuit is correct. Inuits is the tempting but nonstandard form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Inuit”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.