ethnocentrism
noun
eth·no·cen·trism
ˌeth-nō-ˈsen-ˌtri-zəm 
: the attitude that one's own group, ethnicity, or nationality is superior to others
Yet Brumidi was ignored, the victim of ethnocentrism and snobbery. Though he became a citizen in 1857 … American-born artists cast him as a foreigner and resented his painting Capitol murals.—
Sheryl Gay Stolberg
Sheryl Gay StolbergWhen it comes to programs targeted at the poor, ethnocentrism correlates with stinginess …—Matthew Yglesias
Matthew YglesiasExamples of ethnocentrism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But nationalism and ethnocentrism run deep in both political cultures and could reignite long-standing territorial disputes.
—Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2021
Under such conditions, Putin will draw increasingly on Russian chauvinism, imperialism, and ethnocentrism for legitimacy.
—Alexander J. Motyl, Foreign Affairs, 27 Jan. 2016
As Western powers barged into people’s political and psychological worlds, a plethora of ethnocentrisms gave way to Eurocentrism.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
In response to this ethnocentrism, mainstream social sciences abandoned cultural evolution as pseudoscience for the better part of a century.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 17 Nov. 2022
Oxytocin promotes human ethnocentrism.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 13 Jan. 2011
This ideology of progress amounts to a chronological form of ethnocentrism.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 16 May 2012
Only in recent years have scholars been able to confront the inadequacies (and ethnocentrism) of the ecocide theory.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 12 Dec. 2022
Nativism and ethnocentrism and bigotry in high places on both sides of the Atlantic.
—Adam Shaw, Fox News, 30 Dec. 2020
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Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2021
Under such conditions, Putin will draw increasingly on Russian chauvinism, imperialism, and ethnocentrism for legitimacy.
—Alexander J. Motyl, Foreign Affairs, 27 Jan. 2016
As Western powers barged into people’s political and psychological worlds, a plethora of ethnocentrisms gave way to Eurocentrism.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
In response to this ethnocentrism, mainstream social sciences abandoned cultural evolution as pseudoscience for the better part of a century.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 17 Nov. 2022
Oxytocin promotes human ethnocentrism.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 13 Jan. 2011
This ideology of progress amounts to a chronological form of ethnocentrism.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 16 May 2012
Only in recent years have scholars been able to confront the inadequacies (and ethnocentrism) of the ecocide theory.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 12 Dec. 2022
Nativism and ethnocentrism and bigotry in high places on both sides of the Atlantic.
—Adam Shaw, Fox News, 30 Dec. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Ethnocentrism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethnocentrism. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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