1
a
: of or relating to large groups of people classed according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background
ethnic minorities
ethnic enclaves
b
: being a member of a specified ethnic group
an ethnic German
c
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a minority ethnic group
ethnic neighborhoods
ethnic foods
2
: of or relating to the Gentiles or to nations not converted to Christianity : pagan
… ancient ethnic revels of a faith long since forsaken …—
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
chiefly US
: a member of an ethnic group
especially
: a member of a minority group who retains the customs, language, or social views of the group
Synonyms
Examples of ethnic in a Sentence
Adjective
The U.S. has a wide variety of ethnic groups made up of immigrants or their descendants.
a festival featuring ethnic food and music
Recent Examples on the WebNabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2023
The aim is to counter allegations that Beijing has mistreated the country’s 11 million ethnic Uyghurs through arbitrary detention and labor programs that send Uyghurs to work in factories far from their homes.
—Didi Tang, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2023
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian-majority breakaway region, has been the cause of two wars between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the past three decades.
—Max Saltman, CNN, 4 Oct. 2023
The royal couple heard about the contributions of the Windrush generation on the Welsh community and how young minority ethnic individuals are driving positive change in Wales.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 3 Oct. 2023
Vucic, who recently said that Serbia would protect ethnic Serb minorities in northern Kosovo, is using the same argument Russian President Vladimir Putin offered in February 2022 about protecting Russians in eastern Ukraine prior to the invasion.
—Chris Massaro, Fox News, 3 Oct. 2023
Two weeks ago, after blockading the enclave for nine months, Azerbaijan launched a new offensive, swiftly defeating the ethnic Armenian authorities in two days.
—Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2023
Rebel groups, often delineated along ethnic lines, have sought autonomy from a state that was stitched together by the British Empire, unifying distinct ancient kingdoms.
—WIRED, 29 Sep. 2023
But on Sunday, Jewish groups condemned the honor, saying that Hunka had been a member of a Waffen-SS unit — the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division — which was comprised of ethnic Ukrainians.
—Anumita Kaur, Washington Post, 24 Sep. 2023
Samuel G. Freedman, The New Republic, 21 June 2023
During the annual basketball game between ethnics and galawas, a shirtless Eubank is all hustle.
—Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2023
The Revolution of Dignity in 2014 began to change the idea of the nation’s identity from an ethnic to a civic one.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2022
From this pot, at least £20 million ($26 million) will go towards content made by Black, Asian and minority ethnic-led and disabled-led production companies.
—Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Mar. 2022
Of the £80 million fund, at least £20 million will be reserved for shows made by Black, Asian and minority ethnic-led and disabled-led production companies.
—Manori Ravindran, Variety, 17 Mar. 2022
But the strength to weather even the most tumultuous times comes from a strong core values and business ethnic’s aligned with one’s own personal values.
—Ashley Stahl, Forbes, 20 May 2021
The word ethnic is often identified with White people; expanding the concept of ethnicity to non-White people who also have cultural heritages important and valuable to them is a positive step for this nation.
—Vanessa Williams, Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2020
My research traces the history of the roughly 14 million ethnic Germans expelled by national governments across Eastern Europe at the end of World War II, in reaction to the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany.
—Anil Menon, The Conversation, 7 May 2020
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Adjective
Six years later, by which time the Soviet Union had collapsed, the ethnic Armenians won.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2023
The aim is to counter allegations that Beijing has mistreated the country’s 11 million ethnic Uyghurs through arbitrary detention and labor programs that send Uyghurs to work in factories far from their homes.
—Didi Tang, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2023
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian-majority breakaway region, has been the cause of two wars between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the past three decades.
—Max Saltman, CNN, 4 Oct. 2023
The royal couple heard about the contributions of the Windrush generation on the Welsh community and how young minority ethnic individuals are driving positive change in Wales.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 3 Oct. 2023
Vucic, who recently said that Serbia would protect ethnic Serb minorities in northern Kosovo, is using the same argument Russian President Vladimir Putin offered in February 2022 about protecting Russians in eastern Ukraine prior to the invasion.
—Chris Massaro, Fox News, 3 Oct. 2023
Two weeks ago, after blockading the enclave for nine months, Azerbaijan launched a new offensive, swiftly defeating the ethnic Armenian authorities in two days.
—Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2023
Rebel groups, often delineated along ethnic lines, have sought autonomy from a state that was stitched together by the British Empire, unifying distinct ancient kingdoms.
—WIRED, 29 Sep. 2023
But on Sunday, Jewish groups condemned the honor, saying that Hunka had been a member of a Waffen-SS unit — the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division — which was comprised of ethnic Ukrainians.
—Anumita Kaur, Washington Post, 24 Sep. 2023
Noun
Even during the 1930s and 1940s, when Blacks and Jews cumulatively accounted for less than 5 percent of Minneapolis’s population, the police force was drawn from white ethnics.
—Samuel G. Freedman, The New Republic, 21 June 2023
During the annual basketball game between ethnics and galawas, a shirtless Eubank is all hustle.
—Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2023
The Revolution of Dignity in 2014 began to change the idea of the nation’s identity from an ethnic to a civic one.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2022
From this pot, at least £20 million ($26 million) will go towards content made by Black, Asian and minority ethnic-led and disabled-led production companies.
—Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Mar. 2022
Of the £80 million fund, at least £20 million will be reserved for shows made by Black, Asian and minority ethnic-led and disabled-led production companies.
—Manori Ravindran, Variety, 17 Mar. 2022
But the strength to weather even the most tumultuous times comes from a strong core values and business ethnic’s aligned with one’s own personal values.
—Ashley Stahl, Forbes, 20 May 2021
The word ethnic is often identified with White people; expanding the concept of ethnicity to non-White people who also have cultural heritages important and valuable to them is a positive step for this nation.
—Vanessa Williams, Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2020
My research traces the history of the roughly 14 million ethnic Germans expelled by national governments across Eastern Europe at the end of World War II, in reaction to the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany.
—Anil Menon, The Conversation, 7 May 2020
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ethnic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing ethnic
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Dictionary Entries Near ethnic
Cite this Entry
“Ethnic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethnic. Accessed 11 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
ethnic
1 of 2 noun
eth·nic
ˈeth-nik 
: a member of an ethnic group
especially
: a member of a minority group who keeps customs, language, or social ideas of the group
ethnic
2 of 2 adjective1
: of or relating to groups of people with common traits and customs and a sense of shared identity
ethnic minorities
2
: of or relating to ethnics
ethnic neighborhoods
ethnically
adverb
-ni-k(ə-)lē
More from Merriam-Webster on ethnic
Nglish: Translation of ethnic for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of ethnic for Arabic Speakers
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