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

Heidi Vonblum, the city’s planning director, said the delay will allow the city to help neighborhoods that have suffered from past city zoning practices, including zoning based on race or ethnicity. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 May 2026

But try finding anywhere in Houston that caters to white girls, or different ethnicities, wearing wigs. —Amber Elliott, Houston Chronicle, 9 May 2026

Diversity relates to gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, religion, body type, age, ability, nationality, and even political ideology. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May 2026

Where you're not limited by the circumstances of your birth, by the color of your skin, by your ethnicity. —Justin Papp, CNBC, 6 May 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