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 Armed with hundreds of thousands of dollars from Newman’s Own Foundation and Ozempic creator Novo Nordisk, young Native Americans are leading the fight against persistently high rates of food insecurity in tribal communities. Fortune, 13 Oct. 2025 Eastern Syria is where risks of ethnic tension, tribal mobilization, and jihadist resurgence converge, if talks fail. Hassan Hassan, Time, 11 Oct. 2025 In addition, the Kele tribe voted off global events manager Jeremiah Ing at the night's tribal council. Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 9 Oct. 2025 In a democracy that grows weary from tribal warfare, independence can be an act of public service and personal liberation. John H Bolthouse, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tribal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tribal
Adjective
  • Eastern Syria is where risks of ethnic tension, tribal mobilization, and jihadist resurgence converge, if talks fail.
    Hassan Hassan, Time, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Further, while Scorsese’s early work shouted New York as its ethnic hub, Anderson films tend to be culturally ambiguous.
    Peter Bart, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • What began as a political slogan became a 50-year campaign of punishment in Black communities, carried out through surveillance, racial profiling, stop-and-frisk, and the rise of specialized police task forces.
    Josiah Bates, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Ultimately, is this a book about racial trauma?
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
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

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Cite this Entry

“Tribal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tribal. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

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