Costa Rican

adjective

Cos·​ta Ri·​can ˌkȯ-stə-ˈrē-kən How to pronounce Costa Rican (audio)
ˌkō-
: of, relating to, or characteristic of Costa Rica or its people
Costa Rican noun
plural Costa Ricans

Examples of Costa Rican in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Exclusively Costa Rican hummingbird species zip through the gardens. — Alexandra Marvar, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026 The measures tend to be popular, and a large portion of the Costa Rican population supports the new mega-prison. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 In 2012, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that a Costa Rican court’s ban on IVF violated the human right to private and family life and the human right to found and raise a family. — Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026 According to the statement, Arnoldo André Tinoco, the Costa Rican foreign minister at the time, assured Havana at the time that the steps did not mean a rupture in relations. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for Costa Rican

Word History

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Costa Rican was in 1849

Rhymes for Costa Rican

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Browse Nearby Words

Costa Rica
Costa Rican
Costata
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Costa Rican.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Costa%20Rican. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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