ethnic
Americanadjective
-
pertaining to or characteristic of a people, especially a group ethnic group sharing a common and distinctive culture, religion, language, or the like.
-
referring to the origin, classification, characteristics, etc., of such groups.
-
being a member of an ethnic group, especially of a group that is a minority within a larger society.
ethnic Chinese in San Francisco.
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of, relating to, or characteristic of members of such a group.
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belonging to or deriving from the cultural, religious, or linguistic traditions of a people or country.
ethnic dances.
- Synonyms:
- indigenous, national, native
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(of a human being) displaying characteristics, as in physical appearance, language, or accent, that can cause one to be identified by others as a member of a minority ethnic group.
Her new boyfriend looks ethnic to me.
-
Obsolete. pagan; heathen.
noun
adjective
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relating to or characteristic of a human group having racial, religious, linguistic, and certain other traits in common
-
relating to the classification of mankind into groups, esp on the basis of racial characteristics
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denoting or deriving from the cultural traditions of a group of people
the ethnic dances of Slovakia
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characteristic of another culture
the ethnic look
ethnic food
noun
Usage
Referring to a person as an ethnic is broadly acceptable in the US, Australia and Canada, but could well cause offence in the UK and elsewhere
Other Word Forms
- ethnically adverb
- ethnicity noun
- interethnic adjective
Etymology
Origin of ethnic
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English ethnik “heathen,” from Late Latin ethnicus, from Greek ethnikós; ethno-, -ic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"There is a spectrum of opponents in Iran who could take action in the future," Kian said, also pointing to the emergence of demands from ethnic minorities such as the Kurds and Baluchis.
From Barron's
Shah was one of eight people from an ethnic minority background to be featured on the Heathrow posters.
From BBC
On a 9-2 vote, the commission backed the council expansion, with supporters saying that smaller ethnic groups, including Black and Asian American and Pacific Islander residents, would be better represented.
From Los Angeles Times
The Kurds, whose community spans areas of Turkey through Syria, Iraq and Iran, make up one of Iran's most important non-Persian ethnic minority groups.
From Barron's
Mr. Brownback proposes that “ethnic and religious minorities must be allowed to organize and control their own security forces,” but that alone is not a cure.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
