New Guinea

geographical name

1
or Papua island of the Malay Archipelago in the western Pacific north of eastern Australia; divided between Indonesia on the west and Papua New Guinea on the east area over 305,000 square miles (789,950 square kilometers)

Note: Exclusive of Australia, New Guinea is the second largest island in the world.

2
the northeastern portion of the island of New Guinea which was formerly a territory and is now part of Papua New Guinea see north-east new guinea
New Guinean adjective or noun

Dictionary Entries Near New Guinea

Cite this Entry

“New Guinea.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/New%20Guinea. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on New Guinea

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!