as in ethnic
of, relating to, or reflecting the traits exhibited by a group of people with a common ancestry and culture a tribal solidarity that transcends all other loyalties or bonds

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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 tribal Even Survivor icons Boston Rob Mariano and Amber Mariano proved their reality TV dominance by trading tribal councils for taxis. Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025 Pocknett kept a number of the oysters for himself as well as friends and family, as is allowed due to tribal exemption laws. Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 26 Sep. 2025 Chinle Unified School District has shown significant improvement in both math and reading scores, state officials say, and stands out as a leader among the state’s school districts serving tribal communities. Arlyssa D. Becenti, AZCentral.com, 25 Sep. 2025 The agency’s epidemiologists also continue to assist state, local, and tribal health departments when they’re faced with particularly challenging outbreaks, such as the rabies infections that have turned up in unusually high numbers this year. Keren Landman, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tribal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tribal
Adjective
  • Here, Deadline speaks to Fernández-Ruiz about his experience with the immigrant struggle and the importance of cross-ethnic storytelling.
    Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 27 Sep. 2025
  • By contrast, there was no observance of Latino or Asian heritage months, despite being the two largest ethnic groups.
    Laura Clawson, JSTOR Daily, 25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Privacy advocates have expressed concern that the company’s cameras and accompanying Neighbors app have heightened the risk of racial profiling and turned residents into informants, with few guardrails around how law enforcement can use the material.
    Annie Palmer, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Now, faced with deliberate racial gerrymandering in other states and unchecked executive overreach at home, California must respond with equal determination.
    Trena Turner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
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

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Cite this Entry

“Tribal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tribal. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

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