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

Severity of 23andMe data breach unlike others While not the largest data breach in history, unlike other financial and identity data breaches that could be mitigated, genetic and ancestry data - including health information, DNA profiles, ethnicity and family tree details - cannot be replaced. —Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 28 May 2026

From churches to synagogues, mosques to grocery stores, extremists have targeted innocent people because of race, religion, ethnicity, or identity. —Michael Brunker, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2026

Hajj brings together large numbers of Muslims of diverse races, ethnicities, languages and socioeconomic classes, creating a sense of unity for many. —Baraa Anwer, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026

County demographics, including median household income, race/ethnicity and educational attainment, are from the Census. —New York Times, 26 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