as in ethnic
of, relating to, or reflecting the traits exhibited by a group of people with a common ancestry and culture
a survey that included an optional question regarding racial identity, age, and other personal information
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 racial
And about one in five Black women with breast cancer are diagnosed with hard-to-treat triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), more than any other racial or ethnic group.
—
Ayren Jackson-Cannady, SELF, 29 May 2026
On each occasion, students, mostly white, dressed up using harmful racial stereotypes.
—Ingrid A. Nelson, The Conversation, 29 May 2026
In other words, DHS is providing financial incentives for racial profiling.
—Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 29 May 2026
And so, for them, that looks like racial diversity, but also geographic diversity.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for racial
Ayren Jackson-Cannady, SELF, 29 May 2026
On each occasion, students, mostly white, dressed up using harmful racial stereotypes.
—Ingrid A. Nelson, The Conversation, 29 May 2026
In other words, DHS is providing financial incentives for racial profiling.
—Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 29 May 2026
And so, for them, that looks like racial diversity, but also geographic diversity.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for racial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for racial
Adjective
-
Today, Ethiopia — Africa’s second most populous nation with over 135 million people — stands deeply divided, facing violent ethnic conflicts, restrictions on free speech and crackdowns on dissent.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
-
Despite the name, not all Chinatowns are limited to Chinese shops and restaurants; ethnic enclaves consisting of any range of Asian businesses could fall under the umbrella.—
Candy Hom - For the AJC,
AJC.com,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Genocide is defined as attempting to partly or wholly destroy a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.—
Ellie Cook
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 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
Cite this Entry
“Racial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/racial. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
