racial

adjective

ra·​cial ˈrā-shəl 

1

: of, relating to, or based on a race (see race entry 1 sense 1a)

a racial minority

2

: existing or occurring between races (see race entry 1 sense 1a)

racial equality

racially

ˈrā-shə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of racial

• ethnic
• ethnical

Examples of racial in a Sentence

What is your racial identity?

There was racial tension on campus.

Recent Examples on the Web

In a Vanity Fair interview, Kiffin tried explaining why LSU is easier to recruit to than Ole Miss, essentially saying some Black recruits and their families didn’t want to play in Oxford because of the school’s racial history. —Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2026

Section Two of the Voting Rights Act was written to prevent diminishing the voting power of racial minorities by packing them into one district or spreading them out across many districts. —Sarah Clifton, USA Today, 16 May 2026

Project 2025 justified its proposal to eliminate EEO-1 data collection based on concerns that the data could lead employers to adopt racial hiring quotas. —Michelle Travis, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026

The other accusations include gender and racial discrimination. —Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 16 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

race entry 1 + -ial

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing racial

• post-racial

Rhymes for racial

• facial
• glacial
• spacial
• spatial
• bifacial
• biracial
• palatial
• postglacial
• preglacial
• subglacial
• craniofacial
• interfacial

Kids Definition

racial

adjective

ra·​cial ˈrā-shəl 

: of, relating to, or based on race

racially

-shə-lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

racial

adjective

ra·​cial ˈrā-shəl 

: of, relating to, or based on a race