Indian time

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

A notional /cultural system of time which others sometimes derogatorily ascribe to Indians (Native American Culture), and which they sometimes jocularly ascribe to themselves, to account for their supposed tendency to be leisurely, not rigorous about scheduling, and often very early or very tardy.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

hệ thống thời gian được cho là của người Mỹ bản địa, thường bị coi là thiếu nghiêm ngặt về lịch trình và thường xuyên sớm hoặc chậm trễ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Register: derogatory, slang

Where it’s used: Used American English
Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “Indian time” mean?

A notional /cultural system of time which others sometimes derogatorily ascribe to Indians (Native American Culture), and which they sometimes jocularly ascribe to themselves, to account for their supposed tendency to be leisurely, not rigorous about scheduling, and often very early or very tardy.

Is “Indian time” formal or informal?

Indian time is generally derogatory, slang.