as in ethnic
of, relating to, or reflecting the traits exhibited by a group of people with a common ancestry and culture a tribal solidarity that transcends all other loyalties or bonds

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tribal On the ground floor, tribal flags from sovereign Indian nations, both domestic and international, hang. Chris Quintana, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025 But the underlying tribal, religious, and political tensions have simmered for decades. Charlie Campbell, Time, 4 Sep. 2025 Adivasis are India’s indigenous tribal communities, comprising roughly 8% of the country’s population. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025 Six Ojibwe nations are located in Wisconsin and tribal members still practice ricing every year. Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 2 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tribal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tribal
Adjective
  • With a genocide in Congo and war, famine and ethnic cleasing in Sudan, to cite just two of the conflicts currently happening in Africa, that dream seems impossible.
    Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Cellucci agreed and brought to the Weld campaign an ethnic balance as well as his knowledge of the workings of the Legislature, the State House and state government.
    Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Opened in 1946, the diner was the first in the city to hire African Americans in front-of-house roles during a time when racial tensions were heightened, and its inclusive legacy has lived on.
    Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Troost Avenue had long served as a dividing line of racial segregation in Kansas City, a physical reminder of historic redlining from the Jim Crow era.
    Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Defined by the United Nations as acts committed with intent to destroy a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, its use by a sitting member of Congress—particularly a Republican—marks a rare challenge to the dominant U.S. narrative on the war in Gaza.
    Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
  • The United Nations broadly defines genocide as seriously harming or killing members of a group with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.
    Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2022

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Cite this Entry

“Tribal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tribal. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.

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