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
Examples of ethnicity in a Sentence
a university with a student body of diverse ethnicities
Recent Examples on the Web
The long history of colonization and the appropriation of Egyptian artifacts provides a potentially explosive backdrop for today’s explorations of race and ethnicity.
—
Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Nov. 2023
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, dropout rates vary by race and ethnicity.
—Lauren Lantry, ABC News, 16 Nov. 2023
The incidence and mortality rate of colorectal cancer also varies by race and ethnicity.
—Deborah Balthazar, STAT, 16 Nov. 2023
The notion is inherent in choreographer Ashleigh King’s musical staging, particularly in the gorgeous opening number, when members of the competing classes and ethnicities introduce themselves, singing to one another, and to us.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023
This mandate required companies to report pay by gender and race/ethnicity, a first in U.S. history.
—Katica Roy, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2023
However, socioeconomic diversity is still severely lacking in corporate America and can be a greater obstacle to career progression than gender and ethnicity.
—Byruth Umoh, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2023
Since the research was based on a limited sample of people from India, Malin said that additional studies in different countries and with a diverse group of participants would be needed, especially since diseases differ across race and ethnicity.
—Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 7 Nov. 2023
Monday night they were said through tears, out loud, in a cacophony of accents — the lyric diphthongs and soft Ss of Yiddish crashing against the tight vowels and sharp Ts of modern Hebrew — a reminder of the multitude of Jewish ethnicities that call LA.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2023
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Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Nov. 2023
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, dropout rates vary by race and ethnicity.
—Lauren Lantry, ABC News, 16 Nov. 2023
The incidence and mortality rate of colorectal cancer also varies by race and ethnicity.
—Deborah Balthazar, STAT, 16 Nov. 2023
The notion is inherent in choreographer Ashleigh King’s musical staging, particularly in the gorgeous opening number, when members of the competing classes and ethnicities introduce themselves, singing to one another, and to us.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023
This mandate required companies to report pay by gender and race/ethnicity, a first in U.S. history.
—Katica Roy, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2023
However, socioeconomic diversity is still severely lacking in corporate America and can be a greater obstacle to career progression than gender and ethnicity.
—Byruth Umoh, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2023
Since the research was based on a limited sample of people from India, Malin said that additional studies in different countries and with a diverse group of participants would be needed, especially since diseases differ across race and ethnicity.
—Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 7 Nov. 2023
Monday night they were said through tears, out loud, in a cacophony of accents — the lyric diphthongs and soft Ss of Yiddish crashing against the tight vowels and sharp Ts of modern Hebrew — a reminder of the multitude of Jewish ethnicities that call LA.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ethnicity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1920, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Articles Related to ethnicity
Dictionary Entries Near ethnicity
Cite this Entry
“Ethnicity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethnicity. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on ethnicity
Britannica English: Translation of ethnicity for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ethnicity
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