ethnicity

noun

eth·​nic·​i·​ty eth-ˈni-sə-tē How to pronounce ethnicity (audio)
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 Freshman enrollment declined for all races and ethnicities. Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 Even after the Supreme Court ban on affirmative action, many colleges continued to ask students to self-report their race or ethnicity on their applications for other reasons apart from the admissions process. Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 21 Oct. 2024 Despite the declines, the report found some disparities by race and ethnicity. Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2024 Establishing new categories of race and ethnicity may seem to contradict efforts to make medicine and health care equitable and free of racial bias. Jyoti Madhusoodanan, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ethnicity 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of ethnicity was in 1920

Dictionary Entries Near ethnicity

Cite this Entry

“Ethnicity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethnicity. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on ethnicity

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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