ethnic

1 of 2

adjective

eth·​nic ˈeth-nik 

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

ethnic

2 of 2

noun

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

Adjective

• racial
• ethnical

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 Web

Adjective

The Council noted that racial and ethnic differences to the question were small. —Karlyn Bowman, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025

While census participants are asked about their racial and ethnic background, the agency never asks about residency status. —Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 26 June 2025

Noun

Risqué language and colorful ethnics epithets flowed as liberally as the liquor, drawing the ire of a nearby diner who, while not nearly as famous, was at least as wealthy and possibly more influential. —Lizz Schumer, People.com, 29 Sep. 2024

This storybook world is beset by problems, anarchists and aristocrats and casual cracks about Jews and Slavs and non-Austro-German ethnics of all kinds. —Robert Rubsam, Washington Post, 24 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Late Latin ethnicus, from Greek ethnikos national, gentile, from ethnos nation, people; akin to Greek ēthos custom — more at sib

First Known Use

Adjective

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1941, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ethnic

• ethnic cleansing
• ethnic minorities
• inter-ethnic

Rhymes for ethnic

• interethnic
• multiethnic

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 adjective

1

: 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

-ni-k(ə-)lē

adverb