ethnic

adjective

ˈeth-nik How to pronounce ethnic (audio)
Definition of ethnicnext
as in racial
of, relating to, or reflecting the traits exhibited by a group of people with a common ancestry and culture a festival featuring ethnic food and music

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of ethnic Within the immigrant indigenous Muslim community, there were divisions created between ethnic lines and linguistics lines and many other lines. — Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 The Chinese Nutrition Society placed a tall glass of milk next to its 2022 Food Guide Plate – never mind estimates that the vast majority of Han Chinese, the largest ethnic group in China and worldwide, are lactose intolerant. — Hilary Smith, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2026 Fighting between the ethnic Rakhine group the Arakan Army and Myanmar's junta over control of Rakhine state forced more Rohingya to flee. — Lorcan Lovett, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026 The ethnic standoff, first instigated by land disputes, adds another layer to the country’s ongoing civil war which broke out in April 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). — ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ethnic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ethnic
  1. racial
  2. ethnical
Adjective
  • In the complaint, Boltinhouse acknowledged that years-old social media posts resurfaced after her June victory, including posts containing a racial slur and others expressing conservative political views.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Thelma’s Kitchen opened in 2018 as part of Reconciliation Services, a nonprofit that works to address the root causes of economic and racial disparities in Kansas City through food and community.
    — Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of racial
Adjective
  • Genocide is defined as attempting to partly or wholly destroy a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.
    — Ellie Cook Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
  • The United Nations broadly defines genocide as seriously harming or killing members of a group with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.
    — Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2022
Definition of ethnical

Browse Nearby Words

ethics
ethnic
ethnical
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Cite this Entry

“Ethnic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ethnic. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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