intersectional

adjective

in·ter·sec·tion·al | \ ˌin-tər-ˈsek-shnəl ,

-shə-nᵊl \

Definition of intersectional

1a : of or relating to intersectionality Because the intersectional experience is greater than the sum of racism and sexism, any analysis that does not take intersectionality into account cannot sufficiently address the particular manner in which Black women are subordinated. —Kimberlé Crenshaw

b : involving members of multiple social categories … I was near my home, in the midst of a multiracial, multigenerational, intersectional protest. I joined hundreds of others in the streets. —Kira Banks

2 [ inter- + ¹sectional ] : existing between sections intersectional war an intersectional game

3 : of or relating to an intersection intersectional joints/lines

Examples of intersectional in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Their characters are diverse in gender, race, and sexuality, at the same damn time, proving that an intersectional approach to inclusion takes care, not rocket science. — refinery29.com, "This New Study Proves That Hollywood Does Not Get Intersectionality," 23 May 2018 Percentages were slightly higher for cable and streaming, but the good news is these numbers are increasing and diversifying across the board and are becoming more intersectional. — Sarah Midkiff, refinery29.com, "Ellen DeGeneres Opened Up To Jerry Seinfeld About The Harsh Reality Of Being Gay On TV," 8 July 2018 Now what's really fascinating is that there was sort of a gap between the intersectional left and the Bernie Sanders left. — Fox News, "Ben Shapiro blasts 'idiotic' Statue of Liberty protest," 6 July 2018 The Badass Bitches tour is designed to be intersectional and discuss women from multiple artistic traditions. — Constance Grady, Vox, "The Badass Bitches museum tour: for those who like their art with feminism and swearing," 2 July 2018 But progress is drastically uneven, suggesting that the future for gay plays may look more intersectional: less white, less male, less wealthy — and more transgender. — Jesse Green, New York Times, "Review: In ‘Log Cabin,’ It’s Gay vs. Trans as the Rainbow Crumbles," 25 June 2018 But the work is far from over and the conversation must continue to become more intersectional. — Leah Juliett, Glamour, "Why Revenge Porn Needs Its Own #MeToo Movement," 4 June 2018 Other groups are tackling the form of comedy itself in order to create intersectional and accepting spaces for creativity. — Hannah Steinkopf-frank, RedEye Chicago, "Funny Girl: The women in Chicago telling jokes, and laughing, too," 25 Apr. 2018 Of course, the criticisms of this blanket condemnation of men — from transnational feminists who decry such glib universalism to U.S. women of color who demand an intersectional perspective — are mostly on the mark. — Andrew Sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Is Making Us All Live in His Delusional Reality Show," 15 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'intersectional.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.