Yankee vs American

Yankee and American both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
Yankee	Yes	Yes	No	No
American	Yes	Yes	No	No

As nouns, American is a hypernym of Yankee; that is, American is a word with a broader meaning than Yankee:

As nouns, American is a hypernym of Yankee; that is, American is a word with a broader meaning than Yankee:

As nouns, American is a hypernym of Yankee; that is, American is a word with a broader meaning than Yankee:

Yankee: an American who lives in the North (especially during the American Civil War)
American: a native or inhabitant of the United States

Yankee (noun)	American (noun)
an American (especially to non-Americans)	the English language as used in the United States
an American who lives in New England	a native or inhabitant of the United States
an American who lives in the North (especially during the American Civil War)	a native or inhabitant of a North American or Central American or South American country

Yankee (adjective)	American (adjective)
used by Southerners for an inhabitant of a northern state in the United States (especially a Union soldier)	of or relating to or characteristic of the continents and islands of the Americas
	of or relating to the United States of America or its people or language or culture