1
a
: 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
2
: of or relating to the Gentiles or to nations not converted to Christianity : pagan
… ancient ethnic revels of a faith long since forsaken …—
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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
Synonyms
Examples of ethnic in a Sentence
Adjective
The U.S. has a wide variety of ethnic groups made up of immigrants or their descendants.
a festival featuring ethnic food and music
Recent Examples on the Web
Chris Buckley, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
With the help of grants from Jewish groups, social psychologists, sociologists, and other scholars investigated how antisemitism was connected to totalitarianism, religion and other forms of racial and ethnic stereotyping.
—Asaf Elia-Shalev, Sun Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2025
Lizz Schumer, People.com, 29 Sep. 2024
This storybook world is beset by problems, anarchists and aristocrats and casual cracks about Jews and Slavs and non-Austro-German ethnics of all kinds.
—Robert Rubsam, Washington Post, 24 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for ethnic 
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Adjective
In Golog, a Tibetan area of Qinghai Province, 95 percent of middle school students were in such schools, according to a study published in 2017 in China’s main journal on education for ethnic groups.
—Chris Buckley, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
With the help of grants from Jewish groups, social psychologists, sociologists, and other scholars investigated how antisemitism was connected to totalitarianism, religion and other forms of racial and ethnic stereotyping.
—Asaf Elia-Shalev, Sun Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
Risqué language and colorful ethnics epithets flowed as liberally as the liquor, drawing the ire of a nearby diner who, while not nearly as famous, was at least as wealthy and possibly more influential.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 29 Sep. 2024
This storybook world is beset by problems, anarchists and aristocrats and casual cracks about Jews and Slavs and non-Austro-German ethnics of all kinds.
—Robert Rubsam, Washington Post, 24 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for ethnic
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Dictionary Entries Near ethnic
Cite this Entry
“Ethnic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethnic. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ethnic
1 of 2 noun
eth·nic
Ë?eth-nik 
: a member of an ethnic group
especially
: a member of a minority group who keeps customs, language, or social ideas of the group
ethnic
2 of 2 adjective1
: of or relating to groups of people with common traits and customs and a sense of shared identity
ethnic minorities
2
: of or relating to ethnics
ethnic neighborhoods
ethnically
adverb
-ni-k(ə-)lē
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