1
: of, relating to, or based on a race (see race entry 1 sense 1a)
a racial minority
2
: existing or occurring between races (see race entry 1 sense 1a)
racial equality
Examples of racial in a Sentence
What is your racial identity?
There was racial tension on campus.
Recent Examples on the Web
One of their first targets was critical race theory, a once obscure academic concept that had become a flashpoint during the 2020 racial justice protests.
—
Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 18 Oct. 2025
The album’s title calls back to this image of a revolutionary Black Jesus, a Messiah for America’s modern racial strife.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2025
The movie, somewhat surprisingly, reveals a multi-racial Florida community raising children together, mostly in harmony, except for the one single white woman who keeps calling the cops.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2025
Police body cam footage recreates the months that led up to the tragic shooting, reconstructing the tale of a woman who frequently complained about the neighborhood's kids and hurled racial slurs at them before claiming the life of one of their mothers.
—Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for racial
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Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 18 Oct. 2025
The album’s title calls back to this image of a revolutionary Black Jesus, a Messiah for America’s modern racial strife.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2025
The movie, somewhat surprisingly, reveals a multi-racial Florida community raising children together, mostly in harmony, except for the one single white woman who keeps calling the cops.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2025
Police body cam footage recreates the months that led up to the tragic shooting, reconstructing the tale of a woman who frequently complained about the neighborhood's kids and hurled racial slurs at them before claiming the life of one of their mothers.
—Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for racial
Cite this Entry
“Racial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racial. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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Medical Definition
racial
adjective
ra·cial
ˈrā-shəl 
: of, relating to, or based on a race
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