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

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
  • Rohingya are not among the 135 ethnic groups officially recognized by Myanmar and are denied full citizenship.
    Esha Mitra, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2025
  • Participants were mostly White; results may not apply equally across all racial and ethnic groups.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 12 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 16 Sep. 2025.

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