racial

adjective

ra·​cial ˈrā-shəl 

1

: of, relating to, or based on a race (see race entry 1 sense 1a)

a racial minority

2

: existing or occurring between races (see race entry 1 sense 1a)

racial equality

racially

ˈrā-shə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• ethnic
• ethnical

Examples of racial in a Sentence

What is your racial identity?

There was racial tension on campus.

Recent Examples on the Web

Last August, the mosque was targeted twice overnight with eggs thrown at the building and people have shouted curse words and racial slurs when passing by, the manager said. —Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025

What to do with the paranoid racial reading? —Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025

Trump sent federal officers to Portland over the objections of local and state leaders in 2020 during long-running racial justice protests following George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2025

Many frontline workers represent groups that can face societal barriers, including women, immigrants, people over 50, racial minorities and people without a college degree. —Aman Kidwai, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

race entry 1 + -ial

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing racial

• post-racial

Rhymes for racial

• facial
• glacial
• spacial
• spatial
• bifacial
• biracial
• palatial
• postglacial
• preglacial
• subglacial
• craniofacial
• interfacial

Kids Definition

racial

adjective

ra·​cial ˈrā-shəl 

: of, relating to, or based on race

racially

-shə-lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

racial

adjective

ra·​cial ˈrā-shəl 

: of, relating to, or based on a race