ethnic
adjective
eth·nic
| \ ˈeth-nik
\
\
Definition of ethnic
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: of or relating to large groups of people classed according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background
ethnic minorities ethnic enclaves
b
: being a member of a specified ethnic group
an ethnic German
c
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a minority ethnic group
ethnic neighborhoods ethnic foods
ethnic
nounDefinition of ethnic (Entry 2 of 2)
chiefly US
: a member of an ethnic group
especially
: a member of a minority group who retains the customs, language, or social views of the group
Keep scrolling for more
Examples of ethnic in a Sentence
Adjective
The U.S. has a wide variety of ethnic groups made up of immigrants or their descendants. children who were raised in a home where there was a strong ethnic consciousnessRecent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Her minority affairs beat focuses on diversity and ethnic communities. — Elaine Ayala, ExpressNews.com, "Mexican American coalition’s history comes into clear focus in San Antonio," 7 Sep. 2019 Although more white people are shot in total, people from minority ethnic groups are shot at higher rates by population. — Lynne Peeples, Scientific American, "What the Data Say about Police Shootings," 5 Sep. 2019 Underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, make up 80 percent of participants so far. — Max Nisen, The Denver Post, "Guest Commentary: The government wants your DNA — don’t run away," 25 Aug. 2019 As sentencing and bail laws become less draconian, more people are being released; the disproportionate punishment of ethnic minorities is now widely recognised. — The Economist, "In America, art is helping prisoners adapt to life outside," 22 Aug. 2019 Recent photographs show many female judges and some ethnic minorities. — oregonlive.com, "Photo wall of white male prosecutors removed from the Multnomah County DA’s Office," 21 Aug. 2019 Fearing the power of solidarity, employers foment divisions among their workers, typically along racial, ethnic, and gendered lines. — Astra Taylor, The New Republic, "One for All," 26 Aug. 2019 Walsh has a history of rhetoric that has sometimes targeted ethnic, religious or racial minorities in a manner reminiscent of Trump’s. — Laura King, Los Angeles Times, "Ex-Rep. Joe Walsh to challenge Trump in 2020 GOP primary," 25 Aug. 2019 This includes giving sources adequate opportunity to respond, informing the reader of major positions on a subject high in the story and striving for gender, ethnic, racial, age, geographic and other types of diversity in sources. — Pomerado News, "U-T editorial director: Good journalism is accurate, starts a conversation," 23 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The move followed an announcement by Gen. Richard Clarke in August of a comprehensive review of Special Operations Forces' culture and ethnics. — NBC News, "Navy SEAL team leaders relieved of duty for 'breakdown of order and discipline"," 7 Sep. 2019 Then with Lacroix from 1987 until 2009 shows were like stage productions for me, with all inspiration coming from history and art, or folk and ethnics. — Laird Borrelli-persson, Vogue, "Talking With @fkachristianlacroix, aka the Real Christian Lacroix, About Instagram and the 1980s," 13 Mar. 2019 The mayor enjoyed support from the city’s working-class white ethnics—Irish, Italians, Poles and others—who had long been a pillar of the Democrats’ winning coalition but were abandoning the party in the 1960s over a raft of social issues. — David Greenberg, WSJ, "A Half Century of ‘Liberal Media Bias’," 23 Aug. 2018 In the late 1960s, the mayor was wooing white ethnics. — Sam Roberts, New York Times, "Mary Sansone, a Grass-Roots Political Godmother, Dies at 101," 15 May 2018 Researchers have said that facial recognition algorithms often fail to identify, or misidentify, people of certain racial or ethnics groups. — Jon Schuppe /, NBC News, "Axon's police body cams could be getting an AI upgrade. Civil rights groups are worried.," 26 Apr. 2018 For instance, in 2016 ethnic Amharas based in the Wolkait district opposed a federal plan that reorganized their land and placed it within the boundaries of the Tigray Regional State. — Yohannes Y. Gedamu, Washington Post, "Ethiopia just pardoned political prisoners. Could that signal a shift to real democracy?," 9 Feb. 2018 Here is our first: A guide to 32 don't-miss food events in Cleveland in 2018, pizza parties and ethnics fests, paczki parties, maple sugar weekends and the return of the Fabulous Food Show. — cleveland.com, "32 don't-miss Cleveland food events: 365 things to do in 2018," 10 Jan. 2018 The German-American Bund was founded in 1936 by pro-Nazi ethnic Germans living in the United States. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Footage Recalls the Night Madison Square Garden Filled With Nazis," 13 Oct. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ethnic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for ethnic
ethnic
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of ethnic
(Entry 1 of 2)
: of or relating to races or large groups of people who have the same customs, religion, origin, etc.
: associated with or belonging to a particular race or group of people who have a culture that is different from the main culture of a country
ethnic
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of ethnic (Entry 2 of 2)
chiefly US
: a person who belongs to a particular ethnic group
See the full definition for ethnic in the English Language Learners Dictionary
ethnic
adjective
eth·nic
| \ ˈeth-nik
\
\
Kids Definition of ethnic
: of or relating to groups of people with common characteristics and customs
ethnic food
Keep scrolling for more