ethnic group

noun

plural ethnic groups
: one of the many large groups of people who share a particular identity according to common ancestry, culture, nationality, language, and/or religion
On average, Asian Americans have a high rate of college graduation, yet educational gaps within ethnic groups are concealed by the broad Asian American label. Asian ethnic groups, such as Laotian and Cambodian Americans, have a lower college graduation rate than the national average.—Jin X. Goh et al.
Afrikaners are a South African ethnic group descended primarily from Dutch and other European settlers, and are a minority in post-apartheid South Africa.—Taryn Simon
Latinos are currently the single largest minority group in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, though the very notion that Latinos make up a single ethnic group obscures the reality. … the term "Latino" pertains to a diverse group of nationalities and cultures and, as it might become increasingly clear, more than one or even two political viewpoints.—Karen Sue Smith

Examples of ethnic group in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The fighting involved armed youths from the Pakam community in Rumbek North County fighting against armed youths of the Nyang community in Rumbek Central County, both part of the Dinka ethnic group. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026 Some research has found racial disparities in tenure and promotion outcomes, although those disparities vary considerably by discipline, school, gender and racial or ethnic group. — Rodney Coates, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026 The situation is grim on its own, given the complexity of Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous nation and the home to dozens of different ethnic groups. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2026 Everyone who came to the bike shop was Fulani, an ethnic group of Black Africans who speak the language Pular. — Claire Galofaro, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ethnic group

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ethnic group was in 1868

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Cite this Entry

“Ethnic group.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethnic%20group. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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