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
The small school is located on tribal land in nearby Akwesasne, NY.
—
Brian Mann, NPR, 14 May 2026
Minnesotans whose names were also inscribed at the memorial and who are being recognized this week are Anoka County Sheriff’s Detention Deputy Richard Legler, who was ambushed nearly 40 years ago, and Red Lake tribal police officer Jesse Branch.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 13 May 2026
In practice, the contemporary insurgency has expanded well beyond its tribal base, and Baloch militant groups have invested heavily in strategic communications that directly challenge the Pakistani state’s framing.
—Amira Jadoon, The Conversation, 13 May 2026
These individualistic stories reach their conclusion at the final tribal council, where finalists attempt to cement the story of their personal game as the best one.
—Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tribal
Brian Mann, NPR, 14 May 2026
Minnesotans whose names were also inscribed at the memorial and who are being recognized this week are Anoka County Sheriff’s Detention Deputy Richard Legler, who was ambushed nearly 40 years ago, and Red Lake tribal police officer Jesse Branch.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 13 May 2026
In practice, the contemporary insurgency has expanded well beyond its tribal base, and Baloch militant groups have invested heavily in strategic communications that directly challenge the Pakistani state’s framing.
—Amira Jadoon, The Conversation, 13 May 2026
These individualistic stories reach their conclusion at the final tribal council, where finalists attempt to cement the story of their personal game as the best one.
—Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tribal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tribal
Adjective
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The students were demanding that authorities investigate a factory brawl from the prior month in southern China, in which two Uyghur men were allegedly beaten to death by ethnic Han workers.—
Emily Feng,
NPR,
17 May 2026
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Indonesia is a country of 1,340 ethnic groups, more than 17,000 islands, and 718 local languages – representing roughly 10% of the world’s linguistic heritage – and Zon argues that the richness of that regional storytelling is precisely what differentiates Indonesian cinema internationally.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
16 May 2026
Adjective
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The bill, which was signed into law in 2010, was among the first instances of New York taking legislative action to stop racial profiling.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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Tennessee lawmakers gutted a majority Black district by splitting greater Memphis into three different sprawling districts — itself an obvious racial gerrymander the court had previously forbidden, Evans said.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Tribal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tribal. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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