ethnicity

noun

eth·​nic·​i·​ty eth-ˈni-sə-tē 

plural ethnicities

1

: ethnic quality or affiliation

aspects of ethnicity

2

: a particular ethnic affiliation or group

students of diverse ethnicities

Synonyms of ethnicity

• nationality
• nation

Examples of ethnicity in a Sentence

a university with a student body of diverse ethnicities

Recent Examples on the Web

Stop seeing people as a group as all rich, all poor, all of a particular race or ethnicity, social status, educational status, etc. — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 27 July 2026

There are differences in the microbiome across location, race and ethnicity, and age, and what might be a problem for one person may be perfectly healthy for another. — Sarah Digregorio, Vanity Fair, 27 July 2026

Pancreatic cancer does not discriminate based on age, race, ethnicity or gender. — Chicago Tribune, 25 July 2026

Over the past decade, the LAPD has received thousands of complaints accusing officers of targeting people solely because of their race, ethnicity or other form of outward appearance. — Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ethnicity

• basicity
• chronicity
• complicity
• cyclicity
• duplicity
• facticity
• felicity
• helicity
• plasticity
• publicity
• rusticity
• simplicity