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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tribal
There, with help from her mom, the UC San Diego student applied the finishing touches to her tribal regalia and hair — the latter braided, banded and decorated with real otter skins — in anticipation of the day’s events.
—
Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 May 2025
At that time, hair was used to convey identity, social status, marital position, and tribal affiliation.
—Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
During tribal council, Probst asked the castaways various questions about the mood at camp.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 1 May 2025
They were named in honour of a tribal chief from the Arauco War, which raged in Chile in the 1500s.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tribal
Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 May 2025
At that time, hair was used to convey identity, social status, marital position, and tribal affiliation.
—Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
During tribal council, Probst asked the castaways various questions about the mood at camp.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 1 May 2025
They were named in honour of a tribal chief from the Arauco War, which raged in Chile in the 1500s.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tribal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tribal
Adjective
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Apartheid, a system of legalized segregation, deprived the majority of citizens of basic rights and forced many Black South Africans to live in ethnic Bantustans.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
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In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Archbishops Patrick Feehan and James Edward Quigley, both appointed by the last Pope Leo, nurtured separate parishes for Chicago’s ethnic groups.—
Geraldo Cadava,
New Yorker,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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In 1971, the IRS formalized the policy of denying tax-exempt status to private schools that practiced racial discrimination, setting the stage to send the matter to the Supreme Court.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
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Instead, they may be identified as having a combination of racial backgrounds.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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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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Pippa Small Getty ImagesJeff Spicer/BFC Meghan's support for ethnical clothing labels naturally extends to her jewelry collection.—
Marina Liao,
Marie Claire,
2 Jan. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Tribal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tribal. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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