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

Born in Battambang, Ali, 52, is of mixed Malay, Khmer, Thai and Cham ethnicity, and was raised Muslim in a country that’s 96% Buddhist. — Siran Babayan, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

The report also omits any mention of LGBTQ+ youth and has fewer details based on race and ethnicity of students, note both Feuer and Hadland. — Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR, 23 Sep. 2026

Justice Brett Kavanaugh said apparent ethnicity could be a relevant factor for a stop if combined with other information. — Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026

Yet within days, her name transcended geography, ethnicity and even Iran itself. — Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 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